Time's Scar
by Kirishtu
Summary: When Edward and Alphonse Elric are instructed to investigate a series of murders, they become involved in a mystery that gives them more questions than answers. Time is not always a straight, defined line.
1. Chapter 1

**One**

_"Al! Alphonse!"_

_"Brother! Ed! Edward! Help me!"_

_"Al!? ALPHONSE!"_

_"EDWARD! Help me! Help!"_

_Fingers barely brushed against each other, nightmarish black hands closing around a young, fragile neck and squeezing. Blood, blood raining down, blood staining in a puddle that shone white, blood everywhere._

_And there wasn't anything he could do about it._

He snapped awake, panting harshly. That nightmare, again, the third time in the week since he'd arrived. Sweat beaded on his forehead, chilling his skin as the night breeze drifted over him. He slowly pushed himself up, the blankets sliding away from a scarred chest, down a flat, toned stomach, pooling at his hips. He lifted his right hand to his face, froze, then dropped his right hand in favor of the left. The fleshy palm swiped over his forehead, taking away the sweat as it passed. Flesh was better than the metal. Flesh could feel, flesh could comfort. Metal was cold and hard and cruel. There was no comfort in metal. No use in going back to sleep now, not after that nightmare. Edward Elric turned his head toward the tiny window in the hostel room he'd rented out, staring out onto the streets of Central. They weren't as he remembered them, but then he knew they weren't supposed to. This Central wasn't his Central, after all.

The moonlight that filtered through the dirty glass of the window glinted on the pocket-watch he kept by his head as he slept. It was beaten and battered, scarred like his body. It'd seen everything he'd seen, gone with him to the heat of battle and the sweet, coldness of fear and despair. It meant so much to him but it couldn't replace the one thing he'd lost and desperately wanted. Slowly, he reached for it with his right arm, metal clinking lightly against metal as he picked it up. Gold eyes watered as he cracked the watch open, viewing what was inside. The clock had long ago stopped working, but it didn't really matter. What mattered was what was taped on the inside of the cover, and the picture that was taped onto the clock's face. His flesh index finger touched the picture lightly, smearing a line of sweat and natural oil on the smiling face.

A cherubic face, framed by hair a slightly darker blonde than his own, gold eyes that were more expressive and sweeter than his could or would ever be.

"Alphonse… Don't worry. I've crossed this far into hell. I'll meet the devil eventually… and then I'll get you back." He smiled, his lips making a strange expression. "I promised you, remember? So just hold on, just a little while longer."

That smiling face didn't waver, didn't move, didn't change. Edward closed the pocket-watch with a decisive snap and moved to get out of bed. He stood naked in his room, staring down at his scarred, tortured body. He remembered every detail to the scars, how he'd gotten them, what he'd gone through to get them, and his gaze traveled down his body to his left leg where the automail connected to the skin. He made a note of the way the knee stuck a little as he took a step and resolved to get it fixed as soon as he could. He'd gotten good at keeping his automail in prime condition, but he wasn't anywhere close to Winry's level, and he couldn't go to her now, not when he was so close. Besides, this Winry wasn't his Winry anyway, and he couldn't put that innocent girl on the radar of anyone that could hurt her.

Especially those that hunted him.

Edward grabbed his clothes and moved to get a shower despite the early hour.

He couldn't sleep anyway.

oooo

The day started off well, as far as Edward Elric, the youngest State Alchemist in all of history, was concerned. He'd just finished off a mission that bastard Mustang had put him on, and he was finally getting a few days of rest where he and Alphonse could research more on the Philosopher's Stone, and work on getting their bodies back. The fourteen-year-old hopped down the steps of the Eastern Headquarters, and met up with his younger brother at the bottom step.

To many who knew them by reputation alone, everyone they met always assumed Alphonse was the elder of the two, and the Fullmetal Alchemist, simply because the boy was wearing a giant suit of armor. Unfortunately, the height difference between the two brothers played a very integral role in how people perceived them. In fact, the brothers were very different from one another. Ed was a fiery spirit, hotheaded and often rash, rushing into things before ever realizing he could be running into danger. Alphonse on the other hand was often levelheaded, calm and careful, preferring to talk his way out of violence rather than resort to it like his brother. Very few knew that the armor was actually empty, only a house for the soul. Edward had transmuted his brother's soul into the armor at the cost of his right arm, and now everything Edward did was to get Alphonse his original body back.

Alphonse's goal was the same thing, only his desire was to get Ed his limbs back.

"So," Alphonse began, "what did Roy say about this report?"

Ed made a few non-committal noises before he heaved a sigh. "Like he says all the time, "Write it neater, Fullmetal." or "Can't you be more specific?" At least he didn't make me rewrite it again. I think I would've killed him."

Alphonse gave a nervous chuckle. "You're not serious, are you?"

"Of course not. Riza'd kill me first." The elder Elric crossed his arms over his chest as they walked back to their hotel room. "Anyway, he didn't lay another one on me, so we can get back to what we were doing."

"Ah, right." Alphonse was grinning, even if the armor didn't show it. "I did some research while you were reporting."

"And what'd you find?"

"Well, there was this rumor floating around that somewhere in the desert was an oasis where someone had performed a few miracles." Alphonse rummaged for his notes. "It was alchemy, but the people who lived there hadn't seen alchemy before. Anyway, this stranger had a red stone with him, and they say he went toward Central."

Ed frowned. "So he could be anywhere, providing this is true."

"It's something."

"Yeah, yeah." Ed grinned at his younger brother. "Let's get out of here before Mustang decides he needs his diapers changed or something."

"You shouldn't be so mean to him, brother." Alphonse chided, but he didn't stop his pace, keeping up with Edward's strides as they reached the hotel.

"Maybe if he pulled that stick out of his ass once in a while and remembered I'm not his lap dog, maybe I'd try to be a little nicer." Ed snapped as he closed his trunk. Alphonse shook his head and picked up his brother's luggage, knowing there was no reasoning with Ed when he was angry, and the focus of his anger was Colonel Roy Mustang.

They made it to the train station, and they'd actually made it on the train when two military vehicles pulled up to the station. Ed hunkered down, hoping he wouldn't be noticed, but Alphonse couldn't be missed. Riza sidled up to them, her eyes focused on Ed's.

"No." Ed flatly refused before she'd even opened her mouth.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice," Riza replied. "It concerns you."

Ed blinked, then looked at his brother. Alphonse gave a helpless little shrug. Ed looked back at Riza. "It concerns me?"

"I can't discuss more until we're in a secure location. But I'll tell you what I know."

Ed gave a dramatic sigh. "Just when we had a clue to chase too."

Riza didn't seem the least bit perturbed. "Get in the car, Edward."

Considering Riza would eventually use force if Ed continued to refuse her, the small blonde put up his hands in a surrendering position and got up from the train-seat, Alphonse following close behind. When the two young alchemists were safely in the car, Riza slid in with them and tapped on the wall to get the driver going.

"We weren't even gone ten minutes before you came after us." Ed grumped. "So what's so important?"

Riza folded her hands in her lap as she gazed at the boys before her. "I don't know how to accurately explain this, but there's been a series of murders in Central. I know that sounds like usual business, but these murders are alchemy-based."

Ed frowned and folded his arms over his chest. "Sounds like a job for the local police and Mustang. So what's this got to do with Alphonse and me? Don't tell me Mustang wants _us_ to look into these murders."

Riza shrugged. "I don't know. I was just told to get you. Apparently he thinks your expertise would be needed. If not that, then an extra pair - or two - of eyes might help us find a clue we've missed."

Ed sputtered a few choice curses and covered his mouth with his gloved hand. "That bastard knows just what to do to make me jump doesn't he?"

"Watch your language, young man." Riza scolded lightly. "But this is serious, Ed. Even if it doesn't concern you directly, it concerns the military, which you're part of. Or have you forgotten?"

Ed just glowered at the woman but kept quiet and sulked as the car took them back to Eastern Headquarters. Riza escorted them into Roy's office where the Colonel sat behind his desk, dark eyes scanning over a file that seemed to preside over all else on that messy desk. Riza took up her customary place beside Roy and Ed came to stand before that desk with Alphonse behind him. Roy ignored him for a few minutes more before he offered the young alchemist the file. "What do you make of this?" Roy asked.

Ed frowned and took the file, moving to the couch and sitting down as he opened up the file. There wasn't much – coroner's reports, incident reports, photographs and sketches of the crime scene, the names of those murdered and their own personal information. Ed's frown deepened as he read, his keen mind putting together the answers Roy had no doubt come to already.

"Brother?" Alphonse asked softly, hesitant about breaking his brother's concentration. Ed held up his hand, index finger raised, the others curled down, indicating he needed another minute of silence. Al complied, settling his bulky body onto the other couch and waiting patiently. Finally, Edward set the file on the coffee table between them and looked over at Roy.

"These people don't have anything in common," Ed told the Colonel, "except for the fact they're alchemists employed by the government. Out of the ten, only three are military personnel, and even then they're not serving currently."

Roy had folded his hands in front of his mouth, black eyes on Edward's gold ones. "And?"

"And those that aren't military were focused on some kind of weird research," Ed canted his head and looked at the file again. "But the research isn't listed."

"Why wouldn't it be?" Alphonse asked, leaning forward to look at the file.

"Because what they're researching is important to the welfare of Amestris." Roy answered. "If it got into the wrong hands, it could be disastrous." He looked each Elric brother in the eye. "What I'm going to tell you goes no farther than yourselves."

Edward glanced at Alphonse, who gave a short nod. He looked back at his superior officer and nodded himself. Roy sat back in his chair and briefly closed his eyes. "They're researching the possibility of transmuting objects from one place to another. Specifically, living objects."

"Like if we wanted to go from here to Central in an hour all we'd have to do is transmute ourselves there?" Alphonse asked, sounding startled.

Roy nodded. "Exactly."

Edward frowned. "But alchemy doesn't work that way. You can't transmute one thing from one place to another. It's impossible."

"Which is why it's called research, Fullmetal." Roy replied with a smirk. Ed glowered at him, mouth opening to say something pithy. "In so far, they've been unsuccessful, but someone desperately doesn't want them continuing the research." Roy interrupted. "The only problem is that no one but the researchers knows where they are and what they're researching."

"It's an inside job?"

Roy shook his head. "No. The researchers have been killed in their homes or out on the street. The thing is, no one ever sees anyone enter the homes or leave, and with the murders out on the streets–"

"No one sees anything either." Ed finished for him. "So what are we going to do about it?"

Roy raised an eyebrow. "No one said anything about 'we' doing anything. Or 'you' for that matter."

"You had Riza pull us off the train instead of just leaving us a message at the nearest military outpost at the next stop the train would get to." Ed said dryly. "You want Alphonse and me to do something about this."

Roy's infinitely irritating smirk slowly etched its way onto his face. "You are a genius, Fullmetal." Ed's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I'd like you and Alphonse to check into these cases. With a fresh pair of eyes, new clues could pop up."

"And I suppose you'd like us to catch the guy too."

Roy just smiled.

Ed heaved a sigh and slowly got to his feet. "I guess we're done here."

"I guess we are." Roy said in that half-amused tone. Ed slashed a glare at him and headed toward the door.

"C'mon, Alphonse."

"Uh, right."

Ed made it to the door and looked back at the Flame Alchemist. "Just so we're clear, I'm not putting aside my own research while I do this. So don't expect a timely report."

Roy made a dismissive gesture. "Just be sure to get me one, short stuff."

"Who're you calling a microscopic bean sprout so small not even ants can see him?!"

"Good bye, Fullmetal." Roy said cheerily as Alphonse dragged his brother out of the office. Riza calmly moved to pick up the file and turned to Roy. The black-haired Colonel simply shrugged at the woman's unspoken question and turned to look out the window in his office, frowning at the sight of dark storm clouds on the horizon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Two**

Water beat down on the tanned flesh of his back, his golden eyes focused on the drain, watching the swirl of crimson slowly become clear. He rested his forehead against his right arm as he braced himself against the shower tile, and closed his eyes. He'd almost lost the target today. Edward slowly opened his eyes to stare down at the tile beneath his feet. He hadn't gotten cocky; he never did, not when he went in for a kill. A dozen possibilities coursed through his mind as quickly as an alchemy formula did. They'd stepped up security for certain. It'd taken longer for him to get close to his target, and when he'd managed to get within range, the military patrol had shown up two minutes before the patrol was due. He hadn't had time for the subtle alchemy he normally used, so he went in fast and dirty.

He'd barely gotten out alive.

He shut the water off and stepped out of the shower, grabbing his towel and drying his hair before he wrapped the fluffy cloth around his waist. Edward moved out into his room and picked up his brown leather trench coat, frowning as his fingers slipped through several bullet holes on the right shoulder and sleeve.

"You're lucky," he told himself. "So damn lucky."

A few more inches to the left and he'd be on a slab somewhere, being cut open to see how he ticked. Or why he looked like a certain pipsqueak alchemist that was running around the Eastern area currently. Never mind the fact he and that pipsqueak alchemist were one and the same. Or, more accurately, two different sides of the same coin. One side was just more bear up and scarred than the other. Either way, it wouldn't make sense to the people who would've been examining his body. He dried off and pulled on his clothes, picking up that trench coat and pulling it on. He needed to get out of this hostel, move into the underground or into another hostel. He wished Greed were around; he could blend in easily with the chimera in that group. Unfortunately, the homunculus wasn't around yet – he couldn't remember if Greed had been killed by this point in time or if he had even been freed from his prison beneath Laboratory Five. Edward shook his head. Whatever. Greed wouldn't help him, not even if Edward promised to truss up Envy for him. Besides, even if he did ask for help, he couldn't accept it, not now. He was in too deep in this hell; he couldn't bring down others with him, even those homunculi. Even if Envy was his brother.

He heard the heavy boots of the soldiers pounding up the hallway. Golden eyes looked to the door and he estimated he had about ten more minutes to escape. He looked at the trunk he'd brought with him; it only held his extra clothes, a toothbrush, and a few other odds and ends. They were unnecessary. Edward grabbed his silver pocket watch and broke for the window, clapping his hands together to form a bigger doorway. He knew there was a long drop on the other side of the window and quickly diverted his alchemic energy into creating a staircase that disintegrated behind him as he went down. He hit the street and pulled up the hood on his jacket, looking back up as he heard the door to his room crash open. He heard shouts, orders from a superior officer to his underlings, demanding they find the one who owned the trunk. There were shouts from the opening Edward had made, and knew he didn't have long to make an escape before the military figured out a way to jump down or came down to the street the other way. He had to ditch the coat – it would give him away far more easily now than his old red coat ever would have.

Edward booked it down the alley, running lightly to keep his breath nice and even in case he had to run faster. He ditched the coat at the end of the alley and pulled his hair from its customary braid as he blended in with the crowd, disappearing into the sea of people on Central's streets. He passed a few street stalls that had bolts of cloth for sale and found a good roll of black leather. With his right hand he grabbed the roll, regretting not paying for it, but he couldn't allow anyone to see his face. He picked up his pace to find a secluded alley, spreading the roll out on the stones. He tied his hair back into its braid then, and took a moment to look around to make sure there weren't any military personnel nearby. He closed his eyes, took a breath, reopened his eyes and then clapped his hands together.

Alchemical light blared as he pressed his palms to the roll of black leather, the fabric shaping itself into a hooded trench coat like his brown one. When the light faded, Edward had his new jacket, which he quickly pulled on and closed tight as he pulled up the hood, stepping back out into the streets of Central. He had to find a new base of operations, of sorts.

There were still a few more that had to die.

oooo

"I can't believe we have to head to Central." Edward complained to Alphonse. The blonde leaned his head against the window of the train, feeling it vibrate against his skin. "It's like working in reverse."

"Well… it could be worse, you know." Alphonse said.

"Oh yeah? How?"

"The Colonel could've come with us, since it's him that the higher-ups are hounding about this."

Ed's lips curled down into a frown and he leaned his head back from the glass, staring up at his little brother. "Yeah."

It was no secret that Roy was the youngest man in military history to reach the rank of Colonel, and be a State Alchemist to boot. So because of that legendary status, Roy ended up getting most of the flak from the military brass when it came to murders of personnel and the like, and in turn, Edward caught the jobs Roy was just too lazy to get around to doing himself. Ed thought the saying was, 'shit rolls downhill'. He didn't like it.

"Why does Mustang put everything on us?" Ed complained. "What does _he_ do while we're out slaving away for him?"

"He keeps the brass happy and off our backs?"

"Stop defending him. He doesn't deserve it."

Alphonse smiled at the defeatist tone in his brother's voice. "He only told us to look into it, you know. Just head to Central and examine the scenes. He didn't actually say how we could get to Central or from what direction."

Edward blew out a long sigh. "I hate it when he's sneaky like that." He rubbed the back of his neck. "No, we probably should get to Central as quick as we can. These alchemical murders are kind of intriguing. And, they're studying a form of alchemy that's all but impossible. Still, maybe this trans-locational alchemy is something we might be able to use."

"Use how?" Alphonse asked. "Do you think we can just transmute a Philosopher's Stone from wherever it might be hidden?"

"Of course." Ed grinned. "I mean, think about it. So many things would be solved if we could just make the Stone come to us instead of us going to it."

Alphonse shook his head. "Brother, I know you're a genius, but sometimes you're incredibly stupid."

Ed laughed and lightly punched Alphonse's shoulder. "You know me better than that, Al. Nothing's ever easy, and if it is, then we're probably doing it wrong anyway."

Alphonse smiled even though Edward couldn't see. Ed had turned his attention to the scenery outside the train window, but his eyes weren't actually focused on what was outside. Ed had turned inward, where he could think about what they were about to her involved in, and how best they could work with the information they already had. Alphonse had no doubt that plans were flashing through his brother's head as fast as alchemy formulas. Alphonse turned inward, too. He focused on the aspects of the case that Ed was no doubt thinking about, but he focused on what the file had described as the modus operandi of the assassin.

The assassin was smart, no question about that. He - or she - obviously knew the routes the victims had taken, he had known when the victims would be at a certain location, and he'd known how much time he'd have between approaching the target and killing his target before a patrol came around. And he was always able to escape unsheathed and unseen. There was no evidence as to who it was or where he'd gone. Still, there was one thing in common, one thing that had jumped out at Alphonse: the weapon of choice had been alchemy. Which meant the assassin was a skilled alchemist, on par with a State Alchemist. They probably were going to have to dig through miles and miles of paperwork in order to rule out alchemist who perceived that they'd been alighted by the government, and they would have to look at the personnel working on this secret project, which wouldn't make anyone happy.

Still, Roy had a point. Both he and Edward had been able to solve most of the cases they'd been handed, whether they had actually been trying to solve them or not. There was always something that they saw or found that pointed them in the right direction. Even if someone grumbled about them poking their noses into places where kids didn't belong - which happened more often than Alphonse liked - Roy would be able to put the grumblers down, at least until Ed and Alphonse managed to ruffle feathers again. Edward had a terrible time controlling his mouth sometimes, and Alphonse was often the one who had to placate not only the person Ed had offended, but his brother too. It made him feel as if _he_ was the older brother instead of the younger. But, Alphonse realized with another unseen smile, he probably wouldn't have it any other way.

"Brother?"

"Hm?"

Alphonse looked toward Edward and waited until he had his brother's full attention. "Do you think we'll find any answers?"

Ed was quiet for a while. "I don't know. But that's the fun part of investigating, right?"


	3. Chapter 3

Three

The train pulled into Central's station around noon the following day. The Elric brothers departed the train and, in Ed's case, stretched to loosen muscles grown tight by sitting for too long. Then he shouldered the bag he'd brought with them - it was easier to carry the bag than the trunk, which they'd left in Riza's care back at Eastern HQ - and Ed and Alphonse made their way out of the station. They had been told to go straight to Central Headquarters, where Roy was supposed to have called and inform the lead investigator on the case of their arrival, but Ed wanted to prowl around for a little while and see if he could hear any chatter from the people on the streets. That chatter led them all around the city but gave them nothing solid. Finally, close to the afternoon, Ed and Alphonse headed to Central HQ to find whoever they were supposed to meet and help on the investigation.

Lieutenant Mallory wasn't impressed with the two boys who showed up on Central HQ's doorstep, and Edward wasn't impressed with Lieutenant Mallory. Mallory was a short, squat man almost as wide as the desk he sat behind. He had thin, greying hair and beady little dark eyes that looked Edward from head to toe and then looked Alphonse from head to toe and back again.

"So you're the Fullmetal Alchemist," Mallory said to Alphonse. "I can see why."

"Actually..." Alphonse pointed at Edward, who stood with his arms crossed over his chest. Alphonse couldn't tell what his brother's expression meant, beyond the fact that he'd already decided that he didn't like Mallory.

Mallory's brows shot up to his receding hairline as he stared at Edward. "_You_? You're the Fullmetal Alchemist? You're like... Ten!"

"I'm fourteen. And he's my _little_ brother." Ed replied, stressing the word 'little'. Alphonse tensed, if only because there was a tone in Ed's voice that said he was annoyed and ready to snap. "He's thirteen."

Mallory stared at them again, going back and forth between them for a little while. Then he sat back and rubbed his jaw. He looked about to say something, then seemed to think better of it. At last, he said, "Mustang says you're here to help with the investigation. I'm assuming he's already briefed you about the sensitive nature of the case."

"We're aware of the situation." Edward said. "We were hoping to take a look at the most recent scene, maybe get a look at the evidence and what the victim was working on."

Mallory didn't look pleased by that. Alphonse shifted and said, "What my brother means to say is that we'd like to get access to the files, preferably un-redacted, so that we can start formulating a hypothesis on why the killer is targeting these specific people and what we could possibly do to stop him."

"Are you _sure_ you're the younger brother?" Mallory asked.

Edward let his breath whistle out from between his teeth, making a sound like a kettle about to boil over. "Okay, let's end the dance here. Are you going to let us do the job we were sent here to do, or not?"

Mallory glanced back and forth between the Elric brothers for a few minutes, then finally pushed his chair back. It made a loud creaking sound as he pulled his rotund body out of the chair, and when he stepped around the desk, it took all if Ed's willpower not to laugh. Mallory was only as tall as Ed himself, and Ed still had years of growing to do! Alphonse looked at his brother and glowered at him, but Ed only grinned at him.

"Follow me then." Mallory said as he began to walk out of the bullpen where his desk was. Ed and Alphonse exchanged a look with one another, then followed Mallory out of the squad room and into a stairwell. They went down several flights of stairs until they entered the climate-controlled basement where all of the evidence for the myriad cases Central HQ was working on were stored. Mallory nodded to the desk guard on duty, a woman with slicked black hair and baby blue eyes dressed in a crisply ironed uniform, signed in on the clipboard she handed him, then gestured for Ed and Alphonse to do the same.

"I hope I don't have to repeat myself about the sensitivity of the kind of work you'll be doing." Mallory said, leading the boys into the evidence locker. "You can't be going around blabbing about what you're going to see."

"The only people who'd care are alchemists and the government." Edward said. "Besides, I don't go around telling other people's secrets. The higher-ups wanted Mustang to do this, and he delegated it to us."

Mallory said nothing, but both Elric brothers got the feeling the rotund man was thinking rather nasty things about them. Or about Mustang. Or potentially about all three of them. Alphonse and Ed exchanged a look and then quietly followed Mallory through the magnetized gate when the lady in the uniform buzzed them in.

The hallway they were now in was long and narrow, made of whitewashed cinder blocks. There were doors set in the walls at even intervals with metal plates beside the doors, dictating in alphabetical order of case files. There were also numerical values attached to some of the plates, designating case numbers. The door that Mallory brought them to was halfway down the hall on the right side. The plate on the side of the door read "Al-Az 009-576". Edward rubbed his flesh hand against his thigh as if to try and quell some sort of nervous tic. Al knew his brother better than that, and knew Ed was trying to be as patient as he could. It seemed to be taking Mallory days to find the proper code to the door. Once Mallory keyed in the right code, the door hissed open and allowed them into a circular room filled with ceiling to floor with filing cabinets, each with their own little nameplate. A large round table dominated the exact center of the room, complete with four chairs and a large lamp.

Mallory flicked a switch set beside the door and the lamp and overhead lights flickered on. "Go sit. I'll bring the files out."

Knowing full well mouthing off might get them - and therefore Roy - in trouble, Ed and Al moved to obey Mallory. As they sat, the rotund officer brought them several thick folders and a box labeled with the name of the most recent victim, a man by the name of Viktor Murray. Ed accepted the box as Al took several of the folders. Mallory set the rest on the table across from the Elric brothers.

"I trust you can find your way back to the squad room when you're done?" Mallory asked.

Alphonse looked at the lieutenant. "Yes. We can manage. Should we put everything back when we're done?"

Mallory stared at Ed, but the blonde alchemist was already engrossed in one of the files and was hardly paying attention. Mallory looked back at Alphonse. "No. Just leave it out. I'll have someone come and put everything back."

Alphonse watched Mallory leave, knowing exactly why he was leaving the brothers alone, and why someone else would come in behind them to clean up. His attention was drawn away from the footsteps of the lieutenant by Ed's low whistle. "What is it, brother?"

"Looks like this guy is on par with a state alchemist," said Ed softly. He lay the folder he was studying flat on the table to let Alphonse take a look. "See? Look here. There's no way a dabbler could wreak damage this bad in such an elegant way."

Alphonse leaned over the file. The pictures of the body were grotesque at best, as if the camera person hadn't been able to focus properly on the crime scene because of the grisly nature of it. The body was of the first victim, one of the two state alchemists working on the translocation alchemy project. The man had been attacked right on the city's streets, between the laboratory where he'd been working and the apartment building where he'd been staying. Or, at least that's what the investigators had thought, since witnesses stated the man had been acting normal when he'd left the laboratory. He's started acting strange about a block from the apartment complex, suddenly sweating and clutching his chest as if he were having a heart attack. And before anyone could get close enough to try and help, his chest simply exploded outward.

"It's deconstruction alchemy." Alphonse stated, almost awed. "Whoever this killer is, he's able to stop the transmutation process exactly in the deconstruction phase."

"Kinda like someone else we know."

Both Ed and Al shivered slightly. Scar was still fresh in their minds, and though the Ishbalan hadn't been sighted for some time, his mere memory gave both boys reason to look over their shoulders and jump at shadows.

"Scar wouldn't be this elegant, though." Ed pointed out.

"No, and he only goes after famous titled state alchemists. This man, he wouldn't even be on Scar's list."

"But he was on somebody's." Ed said. He frowned. "It looks like the killer targeted his heart and lungs. Almost like he wanted the guy to suffer in the most horrible way possible."

"But the death was quick." Alphonse said. His metal finger tapped one of the hand written notes. "There wasn't as much blood and gore as there should have been for an explosion of that size."

Ed made a soft noise. He picked up another file, the second murder, and studied it. "I'll say one thing: this guy is good. It's almost like he knows where his victims will be at any given time, and how long he has to reach them before patrols show up."

"Then he must stalk them for a while. Learning their routes and habits and such."

"But he can do all that without being seen."

"Being an alchemist, changing his appearance wouldn't be that difficult. He could color his hair or pigment his skin. He could even alter his clothing."

Ed rubbed his chin. "This might be more difficult than we originally thought, Al."

Alphonse looked at his brother. "You think so?"

Ed nodded, a serious expression in his gold eyes. "Each victim was stalked and watched for long enough that the killer knew exactly where they'd be at any given time, and where the guards and patrols would be. Everything was calculated down to the last second. I wouldn't be surprised if the murderer is a State Alchemist."

Alphonse inhaled softly. "Ed, you know we can't go around accusing every State Alchemist."

"No. And we don't have that kind of time. We can probably eliminate all the State Alchemists outside Central, and anyone who had no direct contact with the victims." Ed paused. Wrinkled his nose. "Though, I don't think a State Alchemist would have the kind of time to do something like this, and they're too focused on their own projects to kill anyone over a project they have nothing to do with."

"So where does that leave us?"

"With a whole bunch of nothing, really."

Alphonse sat down in his chair and studied the open files before them. "So what do we do, Brother?"

Ed sat back and folded his arms over his chest. "I hate to say it, but without a fresh crime scene, we aren't going to get any more answers. I don't want any more people to die, but..." He let the sentence trail off.

Alphonse understood completely. Even with all the material splayed before them, they couldn't come up with more than a basic theory on who - or what - the killer was. That he was an alchemist was obvious. That he was skilled enough to use that alchemy quickly and efficiently in a deadly way, too, was obvious. The danger they now faced weighed heavily on the Elric boys. No one had seen the killer, so Ed and Al didn't have any sort of description of the person.

There were heavy footsteps outside the door and the Elric brothers looked up sharply as Mallory flung the door open, his round cheeks red from the exertion he'd just gone through. Ed pushed himself up from the table, his body tensing at the sight of Mallory's countenance. "What is it?" Ed asked.

"The killer's struck again." Mallory panted. "He was almost caught in the act this time. A few soldiers were able to keep up with him and find his hideout."

Ed clenched his fists. He looked at Alphonse, then at Mallory. "Can you show us where?"

Mallory nodded. "That's why I ran down here as soon as I found out."

Ed and Alphonse left the files on the table and hurried after Mallory, both eager and afraid of what they might find.


	4. Chapter 4

Four

The uniformed officers waved the Elric brothers through as Mallory bulled his way through the crowd that had sprung up around the hostel building that was now cordoned off to anyone who wasn't military or involved in the case that was currently taking up the front page of Central's newspaper. Ed glanced around at the faces of the crowd, trying to see if any didn't belong there, or if someone looked too curious about what was going on inside the building. Disappointingly, he didn't see anyone that matched either description. He followed Mallory inside the hostel, heading up the stairs to the third floor. Alphonse elected to stay outside and follow another officer around to the other side of the building.

When Ed entered the room, the first thing he noticed was the giant hole in the wall. He headed toward it, studying the edges of the hole. Definitely alchemical, judging by the smooth edges of the hole and the small, almost imperceptible rectangles that showed the stone had been molded rather than blasted. It was destruction alchemy at work for sure. He stood at the threshold of the hole and looked down into the alley where Alphonse now stood. The younger Elric was studying the building's wall, almost scrutinizing the wall and the rubble that covered the alley's floor.

"Alchemy there too?" Ed called down to Alphonse.

Al nodded. "Looks like he made stairs." The suit of armor turned to look down each side of the alley. "The thoroughfare is that way. My guess is that he ran toward the crowds rather than away from them."

"Definitely easier to hide in plain sight, especially since we don't know what this bastard looks like." Ed said, turning back into the room. "Come up here when you're done down there."

"Okay."

Ed slowly began to pace the room, looking for anything that could give him a clue as to the killer's motives. Or a clue as to who he might be. The room itself was bare except for a bed and a nightstand. The nightstand had a lamp on top of it, but very little else. Whoever this guy was, he certainly didn't believe in leaving anything behind. Then Ed's eye fell on the trunk tucked away on the other side of the bed and moved toward it. The trunk looked old, worn, but well taken care of. Made of metal and wood, it had a dark green cloth stretched along the top and sides of it. There was no lock, but Ed was certain there was an alchemical trap attached somewhere, ready to explode if someone tampered with the trunk.

He dragged it out of its hiding place and brought it to the center of the room. There he crouched, studying the locking mechanism to see if he could open it here, or if it was safer to open it outside where there was less of a chance of something being destroyed, namely, the building.

Alphonse entered the room to find Ed still puzzling over the trunk. "What's that?" Alphonse asked, moving to crouch next to his brother.

"Looks like our killer left this behind. I'm trying to figure out if there's any traps on it."

"Looks ordinary enough to me."

"Al, this trunk might belong to a psychotic killer. We can't take anything for granted."

Alphonse looked at Ed. "Do you want me to open it? Even if there's a trap, I won't be as affected as badly as you would be."

Ed tilted his head to look at Alphonse, his eyes slightly narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Alphonse smiled. "I don't have to worry about getting my head dented in if I ruin my armor."

Edward paled a little bit, and Alphonse wondered if his brother was going to be sick. It was a low blow, and Alphonse knew it. Every time the brothers went on another adventure or got involved in military work, there was the inevitable moment where Ed would either break or almost break his automail, usually his arm. Which either resulted in a trip home to Resembool to visit his mechanic, or his mechanic made the trip out to Central or Eastern HQ to fix what Ed broke. And Winry never took kindly to the fact Ed broke his automail, whether it was by accident or on purpose. She also meted out her own punishment on Ed for breaking his automail, which she worked so hard on for him, a fact she never let him forget. So Edward stood up and stepped behind Alphonse, and Alphonse shifted his position so he could focus on the lock on the trunk and shield his brother from whatever might happen.

The lock looked as ordinary as locks could come. It was a single latch, a single keyhole that looked as if it hadn't seen a key in some time. Which told Alphonse that the trunk's owner used alchemy to unseal the trunk rather than a key. Alphonse took a deep breath and reached out to take the lock in his hand. He turned it one way then the other, then finally set it back against the trunk. He pulled out his piece of chalk and began to draw an alchemy formula directly in the trunk surrounding the lock. When he finished, he put the chalk away and shifted his body to better shield his brother from anything that might go wrong.

"Ready, Ed?"

"Go ahead."

Alphonse set his fingers against the outermost part of the chalk circle he'd drawn and activated his alchemy. The light filled the room and Alphonse watched the lock shiver and shake as his alchemy worked against the tumblers and mechanisms inside. Then the light flared brighter, and Alphonse yelped as his alchemy backfired. The lock and a good portion of the trunk exploded, showering Alphonse with bits of cloth, wood, and metal. Edward slowly uncurled himself from the tight ball he'd folded himself in, then looked toward Alphonse in alarm.

"Are you okay?" Ed asked his brother. "Al? Alphonse!"

Alphonse coughed harshly. "I'm okay, brother. I'm okay. I wasn't expecting that."

Edward moved to look at the remains of the lock and the trunk. "I guess he was expecting someone to tamper with it, huh?"

"Looks that way. It was like he had an alchemical trap on it, designed to stop any alchemy at the destruction phase." Alphonse looked at his fingers. They were singed, but not destroyed. "But it looks like it was also designed not to hurt the person using the alchemy on the lock."

Ed turned to look at his brother, golden eyes studying those ashen metal fingers. There didn't seem to be any damage beyond the surface but then, he had a pretty good idea what his flesh would've looked like had he been touching the lock when it exploded. "I guess whatever was in there wasn't really important after all."

"I don't know." Alphonse said, moving to look through the remains of the trunk. "Looks like clothes."

"Like I said, not really important. No one knows who this guy is. It wouldn't be hard for him to buy new clothes."

"I don't think he had any money. According to the officer I was with, this hostel takes on people who usually don't have anything to their name and want to remain anonymous. They get their money through donations and government funding."

Edward frowned. "Guess that makes this the perfect hideout for him. Are there any other places like this?"

"I don't know. I'll ask Mallory. He might know of any more places like this, and he could put a watch on them." Alphonse poked at several scraps of what might have been a shirt and wondered what kind of killer would simply leave so much evidence behind, unless it couldn't be traced to him in the first place. Even if they sent it away for testing, there was a good chance that there would be no evidence on the clothes, no blood or anything that could be a definitive link to their owner.

Edward sighed. "The only clue we have is that he's a really good alchemist and that now he's somewhere out there in a city of thousands."

"I guess we'll have to either hope he makes a mistake and shows up at one of these hostels or striking at a known target." Which neither of them wanted to have happen, though they harbored no doubts that it would. Alphonse rose from the floor and gave the room another look. "I think we're done here, right, brother?"

Ed put his hands on his hips and frowned at the giant hole in the wall. "I guess so. I mean, I don't see anything giving us an idea of where he's going or what he's going to do next. Let's find Mallory and see what he found out. We'll see if he'll take us to the scene of the murder next."

"What good would that do?"

Edward looked up at his little brother. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Alphonse paused, "we already know how he kills. Do we really need to see the crime scene and the body?"

"The scene I want to go look at because I want to see how he was able to get close. Everything's been stepped up since Central put two and two together with these murders." Ed said. "So the killer is back to square one with the rest of his list. I also want to see if there's any alchemical evidence. Maybe we can figure out a circle that will keep his alchemy from working."

Alphonse nodded. "Since there's no circle left behind, the circle has to be on his person. If we can disrupt that somehow, his circle shouldn't activate if he can't complete it."

"Right." Ed touched his automail right arm. "It'd be the equivalent of breaking my arm here. If I can't move it, I can't perform my alchemy very well."

The Elric brothers left the apartment and headed out of the building to find Lieutenant Mallory. The portly man was standing with a matronly woman in a patchwork dress and a white apron. When he spotted the Elrics, he nodded at the woman, then headed over to the boys. "Anything up there?" He asked.

"Nothing." Ed replied. "There was a trunk, but it was rigged to explode if someone tampered with the lock."

Mallory eyed them. "Let me guess. You tampered with it."

Ed shrugged as if he didn't really care. "Besides that, nothing of note was left behind."

"The hostel lets people stay for free," Alphonse said, "so he doesn't have any money. Which means he'll have to stay out on the streets or risk another house like this."

Mallory rubbed his chin. "There aren't many houses like this. I'll see if I can get a unit out to those houses to keep an eye out for anyone suspicious."

"Those officers that followed him, did they see what he looked like?" Ed asked. "Or that lady?"

Mallory shook his head. "They only saw a brown leather coat cut in the style like your red coat. Hood was pulled up to obscure the face and the guy wore gloves. As for the lady, she runs the sign in desk here. Every tenant is required to sign in upon entering the building and upon leaving, so they can keep track of who's in what apartment and how long the person stays."

"So what name did he use?" Ed asked. "Maybe we can track him through that?"

Mallory chuckled humorlessly. "I wish it was that easy. He used the name Alfons Heiderich. I'm having some people run down the name, but I'm pretty sure it's an alias."

Ed and Alphonse exchanged looks. Then Ed looked back at Mallory. "Is there a chance we might be able to go to the scene? I'd like to take a look around there."

Mallory's lips thinned to a little line. "I'll see what I can do, but the people at that facility are very... wary of outsiders. It's amazing the killer got so close." The portly lieutenant walked away, leaving the Elric brothers alone on the street.

"Why would he use my name?" Alphonse asked.

"I don't know if he actually meant to use it. That name..." Ed paused, arms crossing over his chest as he thought long and hard about that name. "It sounds familiar somehow."

Alphonse looked down at his brother. "Really? Where have you heard it before?"

"I don't know," Ed replied after a long moment, "it feels like the answer's on the tip of my tongue but I really don't know."

The Elrics looked at each other for a long time before Alphonse sighed. "I don't like this, brother. I wish Roy was here."

Ed grimaced, but he nodded. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but, me too, Alphonse. Me too."


	5. Chapter 5

Five

Edward Elric settled himself in a corner of the main plaza in Central and folded his arms over his chest. He kept his hood drawn over his face, which drew a few looks from passers-by, but otherwise, no one really bothered him. He watched the crowds mill about and smiled despite the terrible feeling aching in his chest. After he'd gone to ground, after the military had found his room, Ed had received a nameless letter with a time and a meeting location only. He knew what it was about, just as he knew if he didn't show up, then they'd carry through with their threats toward Alphonse. They'd already proven to him that if he didn't obey, if he didn't do as they told him to do, then Alphonse was as good as dead.

Ed closed his eyes for a moment to keep that memory at bay. It was too fresh, too close to tearing open the wounds he'd received when he'd first lost his brother due to his childhood foolishness to when he was stuck for two years in Germany, and finally to little more than a year ago, when the Académie showed up on their doorstep and demanded Edward help them with their scheme. And because they had Alphonse, Ed had agreed to be their assassin. He hated that he had to do it, hated that he couldn't figure out a way _not_ to do it, hated that he couldn't find any clue as to where the Académie had made their base or where they were holding Alphonse. He couldn't even try to find out. If he did-

"Your brother sends his regards."

Ed didn't turn at the sound of the deep voice. He didn't react at all and give the man the satisfaction of seeing him jump. "He better be okay."

"He's fine. Still alive, and I'm sure you're anxious to keep him that way."

Now Ed did turn around and look at the man behind him. Tall and broad shouldered, with skin nearly as dark as an Ishbalan, the man looked the part of a mercenary. Ed had dealt with him before, when the Académie was originally trying to _persuade_ him and Alphonse to help them. Which both Elrics had refused, especially since the Académie had had a few fingers in the Thule Society pie. What his name was, Ed couldn't bring himself to care. The bastard was the only key he had to his brother right now. "Do you want to dig that verbal knife even deeper or do you want to tell me why you've called me here? I mean, it's not like I'm being hunted or anything."

The man's eyes narrowed. "You were sloppy."

"I don't know about your methods, but if you're interrupted, you'd probably be messy too."

"You were followed."

"Again, if you were interrupted and continued on anyway, you'd probably followed, too. I wasn't caught, I wasn't seen, so you can quit with the incompetency shit and tell me what Olivier told you to tell me."

The man scowled. "Fine. He wants you to hurry up with your task. Now that the Amestris military has caught on, and has linked the cases, he wants the timetable stepped up. And I was also told to tell you that the Central military had brought in your younger self and his brother to investigate. I hope you understand what it means if they catch you."

Ed clenched his fists and remained quiet. Then he said, "I understand. And you tell Olivier he better honor his word when I'm done, or I'll tear him apart. And since we're in _my_ world, you know I'm telling the truth."

The man bared his teeth at the unmasked threat in Ed's words. Yes, while the Académie had Alphonse in their hands, Ed was their puppet, jumping when he was told to jump and killing whom he was told to kill. But despite having Alphonse as their prisoner, it didn't give them total control over him. If they hurt Alphonse, Edward would show them exactly what a State Alchemist would do, and he didn't care who he had to bury to get to his brother.

The two stared at each other for a little longer, then the man lifted his hand and poked a finger hard into Ed's chest. "Just do what you're told. Don't get caught. And if you have to destroy yourself and your other little brother, you do it."

"Just because we're in another timeline doesn't mean we can mess with it as we please."

"Spare me the science babble. I don't care. Just know we mean what we say."

"Like I can forget." Ed whispered as the man walked away, vanishing into the crowd. He turned away and melted into the crowd himself, walking slowly through the city.

He let his thoughts wander because it was the only thing he could do to keep his body moving aimlessly rather than heading toward the next target on the ever-shorter list. His thoughts, though, turned to how he got in this quagmire in the first place.

It all started after he and Al decided to stay in Germany instead of heading back to Amestris after the Thule Society had opened the gate, which was subsequently destroyed. From there, they'd traveled to various other places, working on various projects to make a living. But Ed, as always, had begun to wonder if there was some way they could communicate with the other side, and had begun going through the calculations and science that would be needed. Alphonse had helped him with those calculations and finding materials and checking equations when Ed stayed up too late to be able to hold a pencil. And then Ed had stumbled upon a translocation equation via alchemy, though in a world that alchemy didn't exist, the Elrics had to devise another way of using their translocation "alchemy".

They'd started small, with inanimate objects. First in their lab, which had been an abandoned warehouse, they'd harnessed electricity to power lights strung in an alchemical circle. It had been a joke, really, to set the lights up that way, but something had happened that neither of the brothers had been expecting - the experiment _worked_. The book that had been their test subject went from one end of the warehouse to the other. It was such a shock to them that for a while they just stood there and stared at the book. Then they scrambled to figure out how they'd achieved it, and eventually came upon the answer. Little did they know that the Académie had been following them since the Thule Society's fall. Little did they know that their success in their experiment would cause them the trouble they were in now.

Their success in the warehouse had caused them to test range, and the entire time they were being watched. Once they'd experimented successfully in translocating various objects various distances, the Académie had struck. They'd taken Alphonse, snatching the eighteen year old right off the street. Ed hadn't even known Alphonse was missing until Olivier had showed up at his doorstep with Alphonse's jacket. That had made the nineteen year old Edward Elric quite angry, but all it took was Olivier's quiet command and the sound of a round being loaded into the chamber of a pistol to get Ed to come quietly. The Elric brothers had been loaded into the same truck and then driven to an undisclosed location.

Olivier had then proceeded to tell the boys his plan, and he fully expected their cooperation. Ed and Al had both stared at the man; Olivier wasn't exactly imposing, nor did he come across as psychotic. He was of average height, with a mop of brown hair that was always messy, like he'd just rolled out of bed and hadn't bothered to brush it. His eyes were a smoky green, hidden behind glasses. Always dressed impeccably, Olivier commanded loyalty not by cruelty or harshness but by knowing how far he could push a man before the man would snap.

Olivier hadn't threatened Alphonse right away. The Elric brothers weren't stupid; with access to the Académie's technology and resources, their experiments could actually work in bridging the gap between the two worlds. But there was no way to know for sure, not without human test subjects, and that Edward wasn't willing to do. A botched escape attempt had resulted in Olivier finally displayed some temper.

Ed's body still shook as he remembered what had happened that night, how with anger and shaking hands he'd made the transmutation circle around Olivier and some of his goons - and Alphonse, who knelt between Olivier be a guard. When Ed refused to go further with the experiment, Olivier had produced a pistol, loaded a single bullet into the chamber and spun it. Then he pressed the barrel against Alphonse's head. "One in six," Olivier said, "one in six chance this bullet meets his head. Do you want to take that chance?" And the bastard pulled the trigger.

_Click._

Ed had done it, powered up the machine and had activated the electricity and tried to explain they'd never done this with living things, but he was ignored. And then Olivier and the rest of them had disappeared in a crackle of lightning, leaving Ed alone with those of the Académie who had stayed behind. And that was a problem. So Ed had activated the circle again and had leaped into the opened "gateway" himself. It was a frightening tumble, and when he's landed, he realized too late that he'd made a mistake with the first experiment. He'd ended up in his own timeline Amestris - Alphonse had ended up in this one.

How had the elder Elric finally caught up? The short answer was that he could now use the formulas that he'd created in the other world along with his alchemy. He'd needed help, of course, and had gone to the only person he trusted for it. Roy had wanted to come too, but Ed had managed to convince him not to. His cheeks flared red, an emotion he quickly pushed away. Roy would be so mad at him, and if he ever returned to his Amestris, the Flame Alchemist certainly would give him the sharp side of his tongue. As insurance, though, if something _did_ happen to him, Ed had left his notes and formulas on the translocation alchemy with Roy, in a code only Roy would be able to break.

And if Roy _did_ break it, he'd be after Ed like a bloodhound.

_Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing. Between the two of us, we could get Alphonse back and destroy the Académie. _But how to explain the blood on his hands? How to explain what he'd done to get Alphonse back? Would Roy even understand?

Ed stopped walking in front of a large building and looked up at the ten foot high wrought iron gate. In his musings, he'd arrived at his destination, the scene of his next killing. He knew he shouldn't strike now, not with the army racing to station guards at the workplaces and residences of his remaining targets. Shouldn't draw attention to himself right now, not when his fifteen year old self, and his brother, were hunting him too.

"But I'm this far into hell," Ed whispered to himself, "and to stop now would get Alphonse killed." He stepped closer to the gate, studying the interior yard and looking for any cameras or patrols. His only advantage was to be striking now, when they were still scrambling. But that was a short lived advantage, because the more people he killed, the closer a confrontation would become. It was a chess game, and eventually there would be a checkmate.

Ed moved along the fence, pretending to be just another face in the crowd, looking for a secluded place to get through. He, of course, didn't know if his target was here or not, but it wouldn't hurt to look. If he wasn't here, then he'd be at home, and if he wasn't at home, then Ed's job would get that much more difficult. He found an adjoining alley and studied the walls. Close enough for what he intended. He braced his hands on one end and his feet on the other, and then he began to scale the wall hand over hand until he reached the roof. He took a moment to catch his breath, look out onto the cityscape of Central, and then steel himself for the next step of his task.


	6. Chapter 6

Six

"We've got all but one of the targets in a safe house," Mallory was explaining to Ed and Alphonse as they hurried down the street. Around them was a flurry of activity by the military, cars positioned as road blocks and soldiers standing ready with their guns drawn and held at the ready. It seemed like an over the top reaction by the military, but based on what Ed and Alphonse had learned from the files and scenes, there wasn't a reason to take a chance. And with night falling, the chances of an attack happening, along with the killer escaping, was an all too real possibility.

"And you're sure Rhys Houck is still in the building?" Edward asked, trying to keep up with Mallory's strides.

"He never clocked out, and as far as we know, he hasn't evacuated with the others when we put in the call."

"So we can safely assume he's still in there." Alphonse said. "And we can probably safely assume the killer's in there too."

Edward scowled. If the killer really was in there, then their job would get just a little bit harder. It would probably mean they'd have to split up - one would save the intended victim and the other would try to stop the killer. Providing, of course, the victim was still on this side of living.

The three of them hurried up to the barricade that had been formed by military personnel and wooden horses in front of the main doors. Edward didn't bother to look at their faces; everyone who had a hand in this case knew what kind of person they were up against, and what would happen if they failed. They also knew what the cost could be for their success. Ed and Al hurried up the front stairs with Mallory, and there Ed stopped the portly soldier from opening the door. "Al and I will go in alone. It's better for alchemists to fight alchemists, and I don't want you or anyone else getting caught up in the crossfire." Ed said.

Mallory frowned but nodded. There was disbelief that two kids - even if one was a State Alchemist - could successfully fight and win against a ruthless killer. It was a disbelief most people held about Edward and Alphonse, at least until they got to know the boys. Mallory curled his hand around the door's handle. "Be careful in there."

Ed smiled. "Don't worry about us. We'll be just fine."

Mallory nodded and opened the door, letting Ed and Al slip through and into the building.

The front hall was eerily quiet and frightening even with the lights still on. Ed could see a receptionist's desk and a few offices that were dark. A staircase wound up to a second floor, and there were a set of two elevators set into one of the walls. There were papers strewn everywhere, a sign that people had left in a hurry. Edward and Alphonse made their way slowly through the main hall and up the stairs. No one was on the first floor; they'd been evacuated first. The second floor was much the same as the first - a few offices and a receptionist's desk, but now there were also laboratories encased in glass walls that held beakers and other things. None of the items Ed could see were for alchemy, but then, it was a secret project these people were working on, so it wouldn't be obvious about its location.

"Ed," Alphonse said softly, "do you hear that?"

Ed strained his ears to try and hear the same sound his brother was. He almost dismissed Alphonse's words as fear getting the better of him, but then he heard the soft tread of boots on the floor. The sound was still far away from the brothers, but steadily moving closer. Ed nodded. "I hear it." He said in a whisper. "It might be him."

"Or it might be Rhys."

Ed looked around the second floor, trying to find a good place to hide and try an ambush on whoever was coming. The brothers hurried down the small hall they were in and found a foyer where the walls were cinder block instead of glass. Edward gestured for Alphonse to hide around the corner and he hid against the opposite wall. The footsteps continued to grow louder and both Elrics realized the person was heading their way, slowly but surely.

_Ready? _Ed mouthed to his brother.

Alphonse nodded.

Ed crouched low and prepared to unleash his alchemy on the floor, his intent to trap the person's feet. The footsteps paused just down the hall from them, hesitating for the briefest of moments before moving closer.

A man in a black hooded jacket appeared at the threshold of the two cinder block walls. His hood was pulled up over his face, obscuring it from view. He wasn't tall, but he was certainly a little taller than Ed was. He wore gloves on his hands and thick-soled boots. Ed managed to catch a quick glimpse of pale skin before he unleashed his alchemy.

The floor beneath the man's feet turned from solid linoleum to a liquidy sort of plastic amalgamation. The man looked shocked for the briefest of moments and then he leaped clear of the floor. Alphonse moved then, his fist heading for the man's chest. The man dodged to the side and grabbed Alphonse's wrist, and to both Elrics' surprise, spun Alphonse around and almost threw him down the hall. The man looked at Edward, hesitated, then bolted up the next set of stairs.

"Go!" Alphonse yelled. "Don't let him get away, brother!"

"You better be right behind me!" Ed yelled back, then gave chase. He bounded up the stairs two at a time, then emerged out into another laboratory. Ed stopped to look down at the door he stood on, and made out the sign of "authorized personnel only". Ahead of him was the man in black and Ed could see the silhouette of another person with him.

Rhys Houck wasn't an imposing man, kind of mousy with short dark hair and thick glasses. For a moment, Ed couldn't believe he was an alchemist, let alone a State one, but then he knew looks could be deceiving. Rhys noticed Ed then and cried, "Help me! Please!"

Any other plea was cut off as the man in black grabbed him around the throat and lifted him off the floor. Ed let out a soft growl and clapped his hands together, then slapped them down on the metal door. A spear formed from the metal, and Ed launched himself toward the man in black, spear leading. The man saw him coming and side-stepped his attack, grabbing the haft of the spear as it passed by. There was the crackle of alchemical light and Ed yelped as his momentum carried him and the bottom half of his spear into the window. The man dragged Rhys away from Edward and hefted the spear.

He never got the chance to use it.

Alphonse's alchemy hit the man from behind and then the linoleum hand closed around Rhys, whose scream was cut off as soon as those fingers curled around him. The man in black looked toward Alphonse and hefted the spear again. Edward scrambled to his feet and ran at the man in black, swinging his end of the spear. The two pieces met with a resounding clang.

Ed grinned up at the hidden face of his enemy. "You're pretty good. Too bad you messed up now."

The man said nothing. Instead he shifted his weight and bore down on Ed's part of the spear, his hand coming in fast for Ed's automail shoulder. Ed was forced to dodge and disengaged from his enemy and danced back as the man came on, the spear in his hand smoothly transitioning to a sword. Ed's eyes almost popped out of his head. The transformation had been seamless, flawless, barely a hint of alchemical light. To have that kind of skill with alchemy, to be able to do such a thing...

There was only one explanation.

"You have a Philosopher's Stone, don't you?" Ed asked, an excited note in his voice.

The man's shoulders twitched. Then he came on, his blows heavy. It was all Ed could do to defend himself, and he found himself being driven backwards across the room. Each time he tried to make a move he was blocked. It was almost like the man knew what he was going to do before he decided to do it. It didn't matter, though. Ed knew he was providing the distraction for Alphonse, so his little brother could get Rhys to the safety of the military downstairs.

The man seemed to realize this and whirled. He ran toward Alphonse, who had released the alchemy around Rhys. Rhys saw the assassin coming and yelled a strangled warning to Alphonse. Ed started running too, because he saw that sword swing up and angle itself to take off Alphonse's arm and Rhys' head. Alphonse reacted far faster than Ed had expected his little brother would. He moved to kick out at the man's legs, and when the man leaked to avoid the kick, he punched him in the solar plexus. Or tried to. The man brought the sword between him and Alphonse's fist so the armor' knuckles hit the metal instead if flesh and bone. The force of Alphonse's attack still flung the man backwards. He hit the floor in his back, lost the grip on his weapon, and rolled backwards until he skidded to a stop. He lay motionless for a moment, stunned.

"Come on!" Ed yelled, grabbing for Rhys and pulling him for the stairwell. The man wordlessly followed, terrified by what was happening.

"Ed! Look out!"

There was a crackle of alchemical light and the doorway to the stairwell started to close as the cinderblock wall began to merge together. Ed poured on all the speed he could, dragging Rhys with him. He leaped through and cleared the ever-shrinking hole in the wall, pulled Rhys through behind him, and whirled to look for Alphonse. He saw his little brother locked with the assassin, and barely heard "Go, brother! I have him!" before the two walls merged together, cutting Alphonse off from Edward. Ed stared for a moment, then grit his teeth and turned to Rhys. The man lay on the floor, cowering and useless.

Growling and grumbling to himself, Ed grabbed Rhys by the front of his shirt and forced the man to look at him. "You're one lucky guy. I'm going to get you out of here, and then I'm coming back for my brother. And if he's hurt, I'm going to make sure you pay for it."

Edward pulled Rhys to his feet and dragged him down the hall, not wanting to acknowledge the ache in his chest at leaving Alphonse behind with a killer.


	7. Chapter 7

Seven

Alphonse watched the killer as Ed and Rhys ran for the hole in the wall, moving to intercept the killer before he could stop Ed from escaping. He couldn't perform alchemy as fast as his brother could, but he was more than capable to fighting hand to hand. So he rushed the man in black and struck at him with a right hook. Surprised, the man dodged out of the way and danced back, his attention now on Alphonse rather than Ed and Rhys. It allowed Ed to get Rhys safely out, but also trapped Alphonse inside a room with a killer and no way out.

"I won't let you escape." Alphonse said, settling into a defensive stance.

The man in black looked at him - and sighed.

Alphonse blinked, startled and confused. Was the man upset that he'd lost his target or was it something else? The man turned away from Alphonse and started making his way toward the glass window. Alphonse watched him for a moment, and then realized what the man intended to do. Alphonse quickly rushed the man, not wanting him to get away.

The man in black spun at the last second to avoid Alphonse's hit. He studied Alphonse for a long moment, and Alphonse saw those black-covered shoulders rise and fall as if the man had just tensed and just as quickly relaxed. But he didn't move to attack Alphonse. Instead, it just seemed like he was watching him.

Alphonse swallowed hard. "I have to take you in. You have to answer for all the lives you've taken."

The man just stood still. Then, slowly, he shook his head. He stepped toward the glass again and reached for it. Before Alphonse could react, there was the flash of alchemical light and the glass around the man's hand began to melt and twist, changing its form from a window to a walkway out into open air. Alphonse moved then, before the man could escape, and reached for him. His fingers snagged some of the material of the man's jacket but he couldn't retain enough of a grip to pull him back. The man escaped onto the glass walkway and moved to the very edge of it. Alphonse stared down at the street far below and the military that was there, pointing fingers and guns up at the killer and Alphonse.

"Don't!" Yelled Alphonse. "You don't have to do this! There's another way, I know there is!"

The man lifted his head enough for Alphonse to catch the flash of white skin and a sad smile. He gave Alphonse a shrug and took a step backwards. Alphonse quickly stepped out onto the walkway, noting the sudden tenseness in the man's body. He took a slow step forward, balancing precariously on the glass walkway. Below, Al caught a glimpse of blonde, and knew his brother was watching.

Alphonse focused on the killer. "There's another way." He said again. "What you've done, it's wrong on so many levels, but I know we can figure out something. We can get to the bottom of this."

The man smiled a little sadly. It looked to Alphonse like he wanted to say something but didn't dare. Then the man in black gave Alphonse a slow nod, took a single step backwards, and fell off the glass walkway.

Gasping, Alphonse gave chase, scratching out a quick alchemy circle to divert the edge of the walkway so he could use it as a sort of launching pad. He dove after the man, ignoring the cry of Ed's voice when his brother saw his fool maneuver. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Alphonse knew he was taking the life-threatening risk only because he was in a suit of empty armor and had nothing to really lose if he crashed to the ground far, far below. Ed would be pissed, of course, but what was the fun of being a little brother who did crazy stupid things to scare his big brother? Especially when the big brother did crazy stupid things to scare the little brother?

As Alphonse fell after the man in black, he caught a glimpse of a gold eye looking up at him in surprise and then there was the flash of alchemical light and what sounded like a clap of thunder to Alphonse's ears. He didn't see anything that anyone could work alchemy on, but he decided maybe Ed had managed to run toward them in time to do something. Then Alphonse saw the world tilt and thought he was falling even faster because the ground was rushing up to meet him and-

He crashed into a pile of trash bags set up in an alleyway.

Alphonse lay stunned for a moment, unsure of what had just happened. One minute, he was falling through the air, and the next he was landing in s pile of refuse in some alley that he didn't quite recognize. Faintly he heard the wail of sirens, so he was certain he was still in Central, but he certainly wasn't anywhere near the lab - or his brother.

There was movement off to his right, and Alphonse scrambled to get to his feet as the man in black rose from the garbage, brushing off the black jacket as he stepped clear of the trash. Alphonse struggled to get out of the tangle as the man began to walk away, and hurriedly scratched an alchemical circle into the street below him. He activated it and the brick walls of the buildings on either side quickly swarmed out to meld together and block the killer from escaping. The only way out now was past Alphonse, and the man seemed reluctant to even approach the younger Elric.

Alphonse set his feet and assumed his stance. "I really don't want to fight you. Just come quietly."

The man just looked at him from under that black hood. His shoulders rose and fell again, but other than that he didn't move. They stood there, facing off, and Alphonse wasn't sure if help was coming because he didn't even know where in Central he was. In the back of his mind, a little voice told him that he should just run, but like all the times before, he stood his ground. Had to stand his ground, because if he ran, the killer would get away and there would probably never be another chance to catch him. He could go to ground until the military could no longer afford to protect the people that were left, or he could begin to hunt in a new place in order to divert attention and manpower somewhere else.

The man started forward and reached for Alphonse. Despite himself, Alphonse flinched. The man patted his shoulder and then stepped past him, heading out of the alley. Alphonse stood frozen for a moment, then he whirled around and stared at the stranger's retreating back. He gave chase, following the man out of the alley and into a side street that he didn't recognize. He saw the man in black pause halfway up the street and tense. Alphonse started toward him.

There was someone else there, someone Alphonse couldn't see well. They were in the shadows, but the silhouette looked like a woman's. The man in black didn't see Alphonse approaching, but the woman did. She must've said something to him, because the man half turned to look at Alphonse, and every line of his body tensed. Alphonse didn't know what to make of it.

The woman raised her hand. Even in the dim light Alphonse could make out an alchemical circle carved into the palm of her hand. Before he could react and run for cover, alchemical light sparked around her arm and Alphonse saw a piece of the street transmute itself into a boulder. The boulder then shattered into its base elements and the alchemy changed ordinary rock into what looked like metal. Alphonse managed to cover his face with his arms before those pellets began firing at him, tearing into his armor. He was flung backward, pieces of him telling the tale of where he'd been standing and where he'd ended up. Because he had no body there was no physical pain, but the emotional pain was there because Ed didn't know where he was and wouldn't get to him in time to save him.

He hit the ground and his helmet bounced off, rolling a little ways away from his body. His mind was racing - What kind of alchemy was that? - and he could see pieces of himself littering the street and silently apologized to his brother. Then he looked back toward the man in black and the woman.

The man was holding onto the woman's wrist with a grip that obviously hurt, if Alphonse judged her expression right. It looked as if her wrist was being crushed. The man's other hand was locked around her throat, crushing her windpipe so she couldn't scream. She still tried, writhing against the man's hold as he spoke to her. Alphonse watched the man in black throw the woman to the ground, watched her scramble to her feet.

"Olivier will make you pay for this!" The woman screeched.

If the man responded, Alphonse didn't hear it. But the woman paled and bolted down the alley, leaving only the man in black and Alphonse. The man turned tore hard Alphonse, and Alphonse saw the man's body shift and relax in a way that Alphonse recognized on some subconscious level but couldn't quite place. He tensed as the man approached him, picking up pieces of armor as he went. He piled the pieces on top of Alphonse's torso, then picked up Alphonse's head.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Alphonse asked. The man just looked into his eyes and said nothing. Alphonse was shocked. Usually people who didn't know he was just a hollow suit of armor freaked out when they realized the armor was empty, save for a blood circle and a disembodied voice. But this man, not only did he not freak out, but he was acting like it was perfectly normal to be holding a talking armor that had no one inside it. He gently set Alphonse's head onto the pile of armor scraps and then pulled a piece of chalk from his pants pocket.

"Wait! What are you doing?" Alphonse asked in a panic. The man was drawing an alchemical circle around Alphonse, one that Alphonse recognized. It was the same kind of circle Edward drew when he was putting Alphonse back together. Ed had only done it a handful of times but Alphonse could recognize it well enough. Again, the man didn't answer him, only kept drawing that circle until it was complete. It couldn't have taken him more than five minutes to draw the intricate circle, less time than it took Ed to complete the circle.

As soon as it was finished, and the man scrutinized his work. Seemingly satisfied, he stepped behind Alphonse where the boy couldn't see him, and then Alphonse was blinded by alchemical light. His thoughts stopped entirely as he felt the alchemy take hold of him, felt the pieces of his body melding slowly together. It was a process he'd undergone only a few times, but he recognized the feel of the alchemy coursing through him. It seemed familiar somehow.

Soon the light faded and Alphonse found himself whole again. He spun to look for the man in black, but he was alone in that alley, standing inside the alchemical circle. Alphonse shivered, thoughts flashing a mile a minute. _Who are you? Who are you that you know my brother's alchemy so well? _There was one explanation that Alphonse could think of, but he didn't want to say it out loud, if only because it might confirm an impossible truth.

So he decided to keep the encounter a secret, at least until he had more evidence. Because if what he thought was true, then they were becoming embroiled in something that would shake them to the very core, and question everything they'd learned so far.


	8. Chapter 8

Eight

Edward kept sneaking glances at Alphonse when his brother wasn't looking. The two of them had reunited soon after Alphonse and the killer had vanished from the scene and Ed had the sneaking suspicion his brother knew something he didn't. And that something wasn't anything Alphonse was going to share with him any time soon. Alphonse hadn't said much about his personal encounter with the man in black, only that he was a capable fighter and a brilliant alchemist. Ed knew both those things already, but he was certain that the something Alphonse wasn't telling him had to do with what happened between the time he and the killer vanished and when Alphonse rejoined them.

Both were attending the debriefing of Rhys Houck, the intended victim and now only known survivor of an encounter with the killer. Alphonse had kept quiet for the most part, just listening to Rhys as he explained what had happened and then profusely thanked the Elric brothers for saving him when they did. Mallory was there, as well as a few of Mallory's superiors, and Ed knew they were all there to make sure Rhys didn't say more than what he was allowed about the translocation alchemy project. And as much as Ed listened, he couldn't figure out why the killer would be going after Rhys, since the man was only dealing with the alchemy meant for stabilization, rather than the alchemy meant for the actual translocation.

"He must've come down from the roof," Rhys was saying, "because no one saw him on the lower floors. And he seemed to know exactly where I was."

Mallory looked at his superiors and then scratched a few notes on the pad of paper by his elbow. "Well, you don't have to worry about him now. You'll be taken to a secure location and well-protected."

Rhys grinned, but Ed saw fear in his eyes. If the killer could get to him in a secure building like the one he'd worked in, then the killer could definitely find a way into the "secure location" and finish the job he'd tried to start.

When the superiors led Rhys from the room, Mallory looked toward Alphonse. "I don't suppose you saw his face?"

Alphonse shook his head. "No. It was too dark. But I don't think he's working alone, or killing willingly."

Both Ed and Mallory raised an eyebrow as they regarded Alphonse. Edward moved toward his little brother and placed his hand on his shoulder. "What do you mean, Al?" Ed asked, trying not to let his voice sound either too angry or too condescending. If he did that, Alphonse probably would never answer until he was confident he could back up his story.

"When I followed him into the alley, he was meeting with some woman." Alphonse replied, his fingers twining together and clenching tight. "I couldn't see much of her, but I heard her talking to the killer. She said something about this Olivier person making him pay."

"It could be this Olivier his paying the killer to do this." Mallory reasoned. "Take out any competition."

Alphonse shook his head. "No, I don't think that's it. Ed, you saw it. Not once did he try to kill us. He didn't want to hurt us. And when it was just me and him, all he did was try to escape. He didn't once try to hurt me, either physically or with alchemy. Ed, I don't think he wants to do this. I think he's being forced to do it."

Ed blinked at his little brother. Alphonse wasn't one to say things idly. He was honest, and if he believed what he was saying, then Ed wondered at the validity of his words. Before the elder Elric could say anything, Mallory snorted and slapped closed the file he had been taking notes in. Both brothers looked at him in askance.

Mallory snorted again. "Do you really think anyone would kill innocent people willingly? No, he wants to do this, why I don't know and intend to find out. He's killing in my city, and I don't intend to let him live long enough to regret it."

Ed frowned. "But if he is doing this against his will, shouldn't we catch him and then get him to help us catch whoever's putting him up to this?"

"Once we catch him and make him pay for what he's done, then we can wring out of him the name of the bastard putting him up to this." Mallory looked at Alphonse. "He spared you for a reason, I'm sure. So you should be able build a rapport with him. If we can find him, anyway. And when we do, you can convince him to come with you."

"Bold plan." Ed said dryly. "But it doesn't work if we don't know where he is. And I won't let you use my brother as bait."

Mallory just looked at Ed. The rotund lieutenant's face mottled a little bit, but then he seemed to get his emotions under control. Finally the lieutenant rose from his chair and stalked out of the room, leaving the Elric brothers alone.

For a while, Edward and Alphonse sat in silence. Both were lost in their own thoughts about the situation, and for a while they kept their thoughts to themselves. Finally, though, Alphonse looked at Edward and said, "Brother, I don't think we can do this by ourselves. If it was anyone else we were trying to capture, I think we'd be okay, but this guy... There's something about him that scares me."

Edward looked at Alphonse and frowned. "Do you think we're getting in over our heads?"

Alphonse shrugged. "I don't know, Ed. I only know what I saw. He... he protected me, brother. That woman tried to kill me, and he protected me."

There it was, the hesitation in Alphonse's voice. There was something else that happened to Alphonse, between him and the killer, and he still wasn't telling Edward what it was. So Ed forced his little brother to look him in the eyes, and asked, "What happened out there, Al? When you two were falling, you just vanished into thin air. And then you showed up on the other side of Central." He took a deep breath. "What happened to you?"

Alphonse hesitated. Then, softly, he said, "It's hard to explain."

"Try me."

Alphonse looked up at Edward and then away. The silence grew until it felt as thick and as smothering as smoke. Then Alphonse sighed. "He put me back together."

"What?"

Alphonse looked at Ed. "When we appeared in that alley, he tried to leave and I stopped him. He never hurt me. He just tried to get away from me. And then that lady appeared, after I chased him into another alley. And when she saw me, she attacked me with some kind of alchemy that created stone bullets and tore my armor apart." Alphonse shivered at the memory, though he hadn't felt any pain. He took a deep breath. "She had an alchemy circle carved into her hand, brother. The killer saw it and managed to deflect the worst of it from me, and then he turned on her. It looked like he was going to kill her for what she did to me, but he let her go. And then he fixed me. He drew the same circle you do, and he fixed me."

Edward stared at Alphonse, trying to comprehend what his little brother was saying. There was no one in the world who could put Alphonse back together except for Edward. That was because Ed had drawn the blood circle on the inside of the armor, anchoring Alphonse's spirit to the mortal plane and to the armor. Only Ed knew how to use the alchemical formula contained in that blood circle to put Alphonse back together without irreparably harming his soul. So how could a stranger, someone neither of them had met or interacted with beyond recent events, access that alchemy to do what he did?

Finally Ed swallowed. "You don't suppose..."

"I don't know, and I'm scared."

Edward rubbed his face and looked toward the door, wondering if anyone was on the other side listening. Then he looked at Alphonse, and the younger Elric nodded. They wouldn't discuss anything here, where anyone could eavesdrop, but as soon as they were alone, they'd begin bouncing theories off each other.

But judging by the look on Edward's face, Alphonse knew that his brother was thinking the same thing he was. Someone was trying to kill people working on this translocation alchemy project, and the reason why was starting to seem clear, if a little crazy. Someone was trying to kill the project, because that someone had already succeeded where this project hadn't yet, and it was a good bet that the killer was the result of that success.

Edward looked at Alphonse. "I'm going to call Mustang. If this is really what's happening," he didn't elaborate and Alphonse was grateful for that, "then we're going to need him."

"I think so." Alphonse agreed.

The Elric brothers left the interrogation room then and made their way out of the building. For all intents and purposes, they made it seem as if they were just going back to their room that had been provided for them in the closest hotel, but as soon as they got there, Ed made his way to the closest phone and dialed Eastern HQ.

"Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric," Ed said when the lady on the other end asked who he was. "I'd like to speak to Colonel Roy Mustang. Please." He tacked on at the end, knowing that him asking 'please' would get Roy's attention.

It wasn't long before there was a deep voice on the other end of the line. Ed smiled grimly. "Roy. We need your help."


	9. Chapter 9

Nine

He landed on his feet but stumbled backwards as the world spun. He clutched at something solid - it felt like brick - that wasn't moving and closed his eye until the world stopped spinning. _Well, at least he wasn't lying about that part. _He opened his eye and stared around at the tall buildings he remembered but knew weren't his. Everything looked the same, even though he knew it wasn't. At least he'd ended up in the right place, but there was no way to get word back to tell his subordinates - or Winry - that he was safe, whole, and on the right trail now. His quarry had days on him; it was possible that he wasn't even in Central anymore. But before he moved on, he would have to make sure.

Because if he didn't find Edward here, Roy wasn't sure what he'd do. He couldn't return home empty-handed, because that would feel like failure, and he'd refused long ago not to fail anymore.

Righting himself, Roy Mustang straightened his clothes, pulled his brown leather duster tighter around him and made sure the hat he wore covered most of his face. Even if someone saw him and thought they recognized him, the eyepatch he wore would hopefully deter the person long enough for him to escape. The warning that Ed had left him with, along with the alchemy notes and a small selfish letter, had warned him that letting people know who he was might backfire, especially if he ended up somewhere where his name was well-known.

A deep sigh left his lungs, and the Flame Alchemist took a step forward and emerged into the crowds and streets of Central.

oooo

Edward and Alphonse found themselves waiting impatiently at the Central train station, watching for the eastern train that would be carrying Roy. After Ed had explained the situation to his superior officer, Roy had taken the first train out of Eastern Area that he could. It still would take him a few days to reach Central, no matter how fast the train moved. So Ed and Al had filled that time by pouring over the files they were allowed to read again, trying to find something, anything, that would allow them to locate if not capture the killer.

The killer, too, was a subject of conversation the brothers broached only when they were certain they were alone. They talked about the mysterious woman, the name Olivier, and they looked for things that didn't make sense, whether it was a building leased by a strange name or an apartment bought by Alfons Heiderich or even Olivier. As predicted, they found nothing. If they asked Mallory if they could talk to Rhys or any of the surviving project members, they were sternly, and politely, told to mind their own business and focus on finding the killer.

So when the day arrived that Roy would arrive, the boys made their way to the station to wait. It was all they could really do, since they'd exhausted all the materials they had at their disposal and nothing new was cropping up. Alphonse had even walked the streets of Central at night, hoping maybe the killer would come to him, even at a distance. But he never did, and so the Elric brothers were at a complete and total loss as to what to do with this case.

Thus Roy.

While Roy was more than happy to delegate missions and assignments out to Edward because he was Ed's direct superior, he wasn't one to ignore a plea for help, especially if it came from the Elrics, because Ed and Al wouldn't ask for help unless they truly needed it. The boys were fiercely independent and didn't respond well to people trying to help before it was needed.

The train wheezed into the station, steam hissing out as it came to a rest. The conductors opened the doors to let out the flood of people that traveled to Central every day, whether it was to work, to shop, or to visit friends and family. Ed stood on a bench to be able to see over the crowd while Alphonse sat beside him, hands clasped, watching the faces of people as they passed by. Then Ed lifted an arm and waved.

Alphonse looked up to see Roy Mustang striding toward them, a long coat over his navy blue uniform. He looked impeccable as always, tall and imposing with black hair and black eyes. His expression could be mistaken for a scowl, but the Elrics knew better. He wasn't happy, but he wasn't mad at them.

"Fullmetal, Alphonse." Roy greeted the boys.

"Colonel." Alphonse returned politely.

"Thanks for coming, Mustang." Ed said as he jumped from the bench to the ground. Alphonse sighed. His brother couldn't ever really be polite toward Roy, heaven knew why. But they worked well together, so Alphonse only lightly admonished his older brother. Ed shrugged. "There hasn't been any new developments. Mallory and his superiors won't let us talk to the survivors of the project, so there's no way we can at least try to bait the killer into attacking them. So, we're stuck."

Roy listened quietly, a frown creasing his brow as his mind followed Ed's line of thought and reasoning. Finally he regarded both Elrics and said, "I doubt there's much I can do regarding the survivors, but I can throw my weight around as far as Lieutenant Mallory is concerned. This is my case after all; you two were just working it for me."

Ed shrugged again. "The point is, Mustang, we can't catch the bastard because he's gone to ground. The people pulling his strings were never in the light to begin with. On top of that, there's something weird about the killer."

"How so?"

Alphonse described his encounter again, not leaving out any little detail no matter how insignificant it might be. Alchemists didn't think like normal people; their minds made leaps and bounds and scientific jumps that a non-alchemist couldn't understand. Even Alphonse, who was a master alchemist himself, knew that his brother and Mustang thought on a different level than he did, and hopefully between the two of them, they might had able to figure out why the killer not only spared Alphonse, but was able to heal him. Because, right now, both Elrics wanted a different explanation than the theory they had already. "And we haven't seen him since." Alphonse finished.

Roy rubbed his chin. "There are plenty of places in Central someone who didn't want to be found could hide. The police and military personnel rarely go there, and from what I understand, there's an agreement between the police and the underground. They don't bother each other, and nothing particularly damaging to either side happens."

"So we need to give the killer an incentive to come to us." Ed reasoned.

"Easier said than done." Roy replied. He gestured for the brothers to walk with him. As they left the platform, Roy continued, "The killer isn't stupid, if I understand your story correctly. Beyond that, he'd definitely know anything regarding his prey is something to be wary about. He may be anticipating a trap. Right now, it's in his best interest to lay low and hope the brass relents enough to let the survivors begin to work again."

"Because if they start to work again, he'll be able to find out where they are." Alphonse reasoned.

Ed made a noise. "Because being the skilled alchemist he is, it'd be cake to find out where certain supplies are going. And since he's targeting these people, this project, specifically, he'd know exactly what supplies to look for."

"He wouldn't necessarily need to break into a military installation either," Roy agreed. "He could just as easily look at train manifests and narrow things down until he's successful."

Alphonse shook his head. "It seems so complicated. For someone to go through that much trouble just to kill someone... They must be doing it for a reason."

"Whatever the reason," Roy said, "it's clear he doesn't want to involve innocent people more than he has to. As for what he did for you, Alphonse, I'd say you and he have some connection somehow."

It was a hedge, a way of confirming what the brothers thought but didn't want to say. Ed rubbed the back of his neck. If what their theory was was true, then the people on the project would have a lot of explaining to do, especially if they wanted to keep Ed from nosing around. And knowing how the military was with secrets, Ed wasn't sure he'd like the price that would have to be paid for that knowledge. Equivalent exchange didn't just apply to alchemy, and the military was loathe to give up secrets for free.

"So what should we do?" Ed asked finally.

"We'll have to catch him. And to do that, we'll need a trap." Roy said. "But first, let's see if I can get any more answers out of the people you're dealing with. The more information we have, the better."

The three of them finally made their way into the precinct building. Not one of them realized they were being watched.

Ed and Alphonse hung back as Roy made himself into a one-man army. Most of the military personnel who worked here barely knew how to handle someone like Roy, since they didn't deal much with State Alchemists who were also Colonels. Even Mallory, when he saw Roy, looked at a loss of what to do. Then his eyes fell on the Elric brothers, and his face reddened as his lips twisted into a severe frown.

"Looks like we're in trouble, brother." Alphonse says quietly.

Ed made a soft noise but didn't really respond. He watched Mallory, aware the man was taking note of everything and would no doubt report this to his superiors. Of course, there really wasn't anything they could do about it, since Roy was the one who was supposed to be working on solving this case anyway.

Finally, after a few hours had gone by, the Elrics and Mustang found themselves in a large meeting room surrounded by papers and boxes and Mallory, who continuously wrung his hands and stared at Roy like the Colonel was going to snap his fingers at any moment and fry him to a crisp. Ed could tell by Roy's expression that he was seeing the same things Ed and Alphonse had. He kept quiet for a long while, pouring over the papers with an intensity that seemed off for the man who normally hated paperwork. Finally, Roy put the papers down in s neat pile and looked at the Elric brothers.

"It looks like the only way to lure out this killer is to take the project survivors and put them back into danger." Roy said.

Mallory spluttered. "You can't do that! They're too important to Amestris to use for bait!"

Roy looked at him with an arched brow. "Then how do you propose we catch the killer? He's after these few remaining men and women for a reason, and that reason has to do with this translocation alchemy. Someone doesn't want us learning the alchemy, or perfecting it. That someone has sent a highly dangerous assassin after these people, an assassin who knows alchemy just as well as a State Alchemist, if not better. Whatever the reason for this is, we won't get any answers until we have one party in our custody."

"But you're suggesting using people as bait." Mallory protested.

"No, not the people themselves," Ed said, "but the idea of them."

Mallory looked at the elder Elric, confused. "What do you mean?"

Ed waved a hand. "Our killer has gone to ground, and if he's smart, which I don't doubt he is, he'll wait until the military's become complacent and secure in themselves again. Eventually, those people are going to want to go home. They're going to want to see their families. All he has to do is wait until they're released back into the public to go back to hunting them. But if we say they're back working on the project in a certain location, we might be able to gamble on the killer's need to get his assignment done."

Now Mallory seemed to understand.

Roy added, "If we do this, then we have to pick a place that seems like it would be safe and secure - to add to the illusion that the alchemists are there working - and a place that we could easily set up in our favor to capture our killer. We would have to have a sufficient guard to make it look like his targets are there, plus a supply shipment. If we gamble correctly, he won't be able to resist the bait."

"And between me, Mustang, and Al, we should have no problem catching him." Ed said. "He's a good alchemist, but I don't think even he could fight off three of us at once."

Mallory mulled over the plan for a long while, searching all of their faces. Even Colonel Mustang seemed to trust this plan, and Mallory wondered if the rumors and other things he'd heard about the young Colonel were true. Finally, he said, "I'll have to pitch it to my superiors. They're very adamant that this gets solved."

"Unless you want to wait years and handle increasingly angry alchemists, this is the only way." Ed said blandly.

Mallory nodded. "I'll do my best to convince them."


	10. Chapter 10

Ten

The warehouse that had been picked as the trap location was far enough out of Central to seem like a secret, safe place. The walls were sturdy concrete, the second story landing seemed to be a perfect vantage point for the experiments supposedly going on below, and there were no windows through which anything could be seen. There were only two ways in - the main door, which would have a constant patrol of officers, and the roof door, which was purposefully left unlocked. There, Roy had set an ashtray and the remains of cigarettes, making it seem as if the only smoker in the small group of survivors snuck up there every now and then to smoke and take a moment for himself.

Inside, Ed and Al busied themselves setting up alchemical experiments. Or what looked to be experiments. In reality, they were traps that Alphonse would be able to activate with a touch in hopes one of them would trap the killer. Ed and Roy would be engaged in combat with the killer, if he chose to show up, and the two of them would try to either capture him themselves or drive him toward one of the traps.

It hadn't taken long to get permission from the higher ups to put the plan into motion. Everyone on the case had their part to play, including Mallory. The rotund Lieutenant had given a press conference in hopes that the killer might hear or see it. He claimed the alchemy killings had stopped for good and that life for the survivors was continuing on as normal. They would return to their work for the good of Amestris and he assured the public they had nothing more to fear from the killer. He hadn't given a location for the warehouse nor had he said anything about the survivors being moved. He'd let the crowd assume what they wanted to assume.

Ed put the finishing touches to the last alchemy circle and joined Roy and Alphonse by the front of the warehouse, where a good thirty or so blue-uniformed soldiers stood, watching the two State Alchemists and the suit of armor apprehensively.

"As you know," Roy said, his deep voice booming forth, "this is a trap set up to capture the Alchemy Killer. If you see anyone suspicious, do not engage him. Let him come in uncontested. The three of us will be in here, waiting for him. Remember, he's a skilled alchemist, and he'll be coming to finish his job. No matter what you see or hear, under no circumstances are you to enter this building. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir!" The group chorused and smartly saluted Roy.

"You're dismissed to your assigned positions."

As the group filed out of the building, Edward looked up at Roy. "If we gambled correctly, do you think we'll come out of this victorious?"

Roy eyed both Elric brothers. He knew the gravity of the question Ed had asked better than anyone. He took a deep breath. "If we gambled correctly, I think we have a chance. Whether we're victorious or not depends greatly on our ability to counter him. And if you're right, if he does have a Philosopher's Stone, then we might have our work cut out for us."

Edward nodded, and then he followed the Colonel back into the main room of the warehouse to finish setting things up.

Alphonse watched them both, wondering just one more time about the killer and the man's intentions. If he fell for the trap, they'd get the answers they wanted, but if he didn't, they'd all look like fools. He, for one, hoped the man showed up, because Alphonse wanted to ask him so many things. The least of which was why the man seemed to care so much about him.

oooo

Edward Elric stood alone in a dark room, hearing scratches along the invisible walls. He knew the sounds were meant to scare him but the nineteen year old wasn't scared by most things anymore. There really was only one fear that Edward had right now, and that was losing Alphonse.

After the incident in the alley - which he was still worrying over - Olivier had summoned him to the building the man had claimed for the Académie. It was a nondescript, plain brick building that looked like it might have been a factory at one point it its life. How long it has stood empty, forgotten on the outskirts of Central he didn't know, but Olivier seemed to have been drawn to it like it was a lodestone. Ed briefly toyed with the idea that the building reminded Olivier of something back home, but he knew that the director of the Académie loved nothing but himself and his own ambition.

"How long are you going to make me wait, Olivier?" Edward called into the darkness. He put a hint of annoyance and boredom in the words. Better to sound like he didn't care about being summoned like some misbehaving student than to reveal how nervous he actually was.

The darkness lasted for a few more heartbeats before a light flickered on. The cold illumination filled a small space of the walkway above him. Standing there, impeccably dressed in a tailored white suit was the man who had started all this, the man who has ruined Ed's life and was still holding his brother hostage. Ed's eyes flicked to the three forms accompanying Olivier and recognized two as the man's bodyguards. The third shape made his throat go dry and his heart nearly stop beating.

Alphonse, at eighteen years old, still stood taller than his older brother. His blonde hair was still a shade darker than Ed's, and still kept neatly short. His golden eyes were focused on his brother, revealing nothing as to his state of well-being or what he thought about his brother's actions on his behalf. Ed didn't doubt that Olivier had told Alphonse exactly was Edward was doing to ensure his safety, and he wasn't sure if he could continue to live with his ever growing closet of demons if Alphonse turned away from him now.

Then Alphonse smiled slightly, and gave the barest of nods to his brother. Ed let go of the breath he'd been holding as slowly as he could, not wanting the bastard to see how much he'd been affected by seeing Alphonse.

"Thank you for coming so quickly, Mr. Elric," Olivier said, his slightly accented, cultured voice rolling off his tongue like poisoned honey, "I've been anxiously awaiting your report about a certain... incident."

Ed shrugged. "What's to tell? Your bitch got trigger happy. If she'd just left it alone like I told her to, I wouldn't be forced to delay my search in order to play the blame game with you."

Olivier stared at him. A feral light crept into the man's eyes. "You interacted with your other self, and his little brother. That's no small thing to sniff at."

"I didn't talk to them or reveal anything. For all they know, I've got a Philosopher's Stone. It's nothing to worry about."

"Ah, but your actions allowed them to hide the rest of the prey. Now it may be months before they come out of their den."

Ed did his best not to shiver. He didn't like that Olivier thought of people as prey or material. He also didn't look at Alphonse, who looked like he was going to be sick. Ed shrugged again. "It was bound to happen sooner or later. I told you to let me work at my own pace, but you didn't like that idea. This is the consequence."

"And you'll have to deal with it." Olivier replied. He gestured to Alphonse. "Or at least your brother will, since we need you whole and healthy to complete the task assigned you."

Ed clenched his fists. "If you hurt him in any way, I swear nothing will stop me from killing you."

Olivier, damn him, laughed. He patted Alphonse's head like the boy was much shorter than he was. Or like a pet. After a second of laughter, the man sobered. "Attack me, and I'll kill him." His hand wrapped tight around Alphonse's throat. "And I'll make it painful and agonizing and he'll die knowing his older brother can't do anything to save him."

Ed shrugged like he didn't much care. "If he dies, there's nothing stopping me from coming after you."

Olivier's hand immediately released Al's throat. _Good,_ Ed thought, _the bastard believes that, at least. _Olivier studied the older Elric for a long moment. He regained his composure and stood a little straighter. "Have you been listening to the radio, Edward?"

"No."

Olivier smiled. "Shame. Then let me inform you that your prey has indeed come out of their den. In fact, they're so confident that you are no longer hunting them that they've resumed their little project. I want you to stop them. Kill them all in one fell swoop and I'll give you your precious baby brother back. I'll even let the two of you go home."

Edward didn't believe him for a second. Olivier knew how powerful his alchemy was, and an alchemist of Ed's skill and caliber - a State Alchemist - was useful, especially when that alchemist had been born and raised in Amestris. The Fullmetal Alchemist was someone who could achieve Olivier's wildest dreams and they both knew it.

"So are you going to tell me where they are, or do I have to go hunting?" Ed asked without much feeling.

Olivier smiled. "What's the fun of the hunt of I do everything for you?"

"I thought you were pressed for time. Since I'm obviously mistaken, I'll go hunting in my own." Ed turned on his heel and started to walk away. He hated turning his back on Olivier, hated turning his back on his little brother, but he had to do it. It was for Al's safety as much as his own.

"Now, now, Fullmetal." Olivier chortled. "I would never let you go without a clue. I am a gentleman after all. Your wise military has moved the prey to a laboratory outside of the city. A short drive, or jump, in your case. I'm sure security will be tight, but I believe in you."

Edward half turned and looked up at Olivier. Then he shifted his eyes to Alphonse. His little brother had a look of grim determination and he gave Ed a short, imperceptible nod. Edward nodded back, then left the room.

Olivier turned his attention to Alphonse. "I do hope your brother succeeds. For your sake. I'd hate to have to hurt you again just to get him to behave himself."

Alphonse allowed himself to smile. "My brother means what he says."

Later, when Alphonse was again in his lonely little cell, he allowed himself to cry. He didn't know if it was in relief or something else, but he was glad that the things Ed had been forced to do - was still being forced to do - hadn't broken him. Ed would always live with these demons, with innocent blood on his hands. Alphonse, too, would have to live with the knowledge that these people died because of him, because in order to ensure his safety, Ed had to end them. After a moment, Alphonse dried his tears with his sleeve and shifted positions. He pulled up the mat that served as his bed, picked up the sharp shard of rock he'd broken off one of the bricks that made up the walls, and began to work on the alchemy circle that would hopefully allow him to escape.


	11. Chapter 11

Eleven

Edward was a bundle of nervous energy as the second day came to a slow close. Again, the man in black hadn't appeared, hadn't so much as sniffed at the bait. Of course the fifteen year old wondered if the man realized it was a trap and simply wouldn't come. Roy had the same worry though he didn't say anything. The Elrics, the Colonel, and the thirty or so soldiers would start to pack up soon to return to their rooms and get ready to trek out here again tomorrow and hope that tomorrow would be the day the bastard finally showed himself.

_We should be so lucky, right?_ Ed surveyed the "laboratory", looking at the mannequins that were set up to look like living breathing people. Everything looked normal, but the killer hadn't shown up yet, not even to look. _Maybe we weren't specific enough. But if we were too specific, he'd know right away it was a trap._

"Fullmetal,"

Ed looked down at Roy, who held up two brown bags. The Colonel gave a small smile. "Want to eat something?"

"Sure." Ed got up from his spot and tromped downstairs to join Roy as a small card table Alphonse had set up at some point. Alphonse was no where to be seen, but that wasn't unusual. The younger Elric drifted between the stairs leading to the roof and the lower floor. And he didn't need to eat, like Ed did, thought the elder Elric with a hint of shame. That was his fault, a mistake he was fighting to rectify.

They are quietly, not saying much of anything to each other. It was an early dinner, since it was by unspoken agreement that they be prepared for anything that might happen. It was better to make sure they'd be full before they had to fight, and that the food had time to digest before they got into the fight. Roy just watched Ed, as Ed watched the floor, wondering again of the circles looked real enough like translocation alchemy circles rather than the traps they were.

"Do you think this will really work?" Ed asked. It was the same ritual question he'd asked last night, and he'd probably ask it again tomorrow night if nothing happened.

So Roy answers with the ritual answer. "Of course it'll work, Fullmetal."

The boy seemed to accept it like he always did, but then he said, "I'm just worried. We're facing an alchemist who's able to use alchemy he's not even supposed to know. That means he's either a genius, or..." He let the sentence hang. Roy didn't want to fill in the 'or' part of the sentence himself.

Roy stared at the half-eaten sandwich in his hand. "Until we catch him, there's no telling what he knows. It could be that he saw your blood seal and was able to infer what kind of alchemy to use that way. Or, like you thought, he has a Philosopher's Stone. The best we can do his hope he shows up and we're strong enough to fight him."

"I'm not sure he really wants to fight."

Both Roy and Ed looked up at Alphonse. The younger Elric was standing behind them, staring at the alchemical circles he'd drawn earlier. When he realized the others were looking at him, he continued, "I want to try and see if he'll surrender peacefully. If he does, maybe we can help him."

"By doing what, exactly? Killing people?" Ed asked.

"No." Alphonse said, sounding shocked. "Not that. But we could find out why. He didn't seem to be like Scar. He didn't seem like he wanted to kill. He was doing it because he had to."

Roy sucked in a long, quiet breath and released it. "The only thing we can do is wait and-"

And that was when the lights shut off.

oooo

Edward released the power cables and shook his automail hand to disperse the last of the electricity. It hadn't been easy to figure out which cables led to the power surrounding the complex and which cables led to the inner building's power supply. He'd intentionally cut the inside power on purpose, hoping to lure most of the outside forces to the inner building. It worked, to an extent. Most of the guards on one side of the building went toward the front, seeking an answer as to why the power suddenly went out. It gave him a mostly clear field to vault over the fence and run up to the building's side. A quick glance confirmed there were no guards nearby, so he began to climb.

The idea that this was a trap was definitely in his mind, so he was moving slowly, cautiously, aware that there could be someone waiting on the roof for him. It probably would've been easier to use alchemy to create a tunnel right up under the building's floor, but that would take days of careful alchemy-use and constant monitoring. The ground here really wasn't suitable for tunnels, and even if he'd taken the time to make one, it was an all too possible possibility that someone would've discovered it.

He reached the roof and rolled over the edge. He tried to land as lightly as he could, unsure if there was anyone up here waiting and listening for the sounds of footsteps. There was no sound nearby, except for the voices below asking numerous questions and finally some genius suggesting they go check the power cables. Ed couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face. Even if they managed to fix the cables, the only thing they'd succeed in doing would be to blow the other fuses, cutting off the rest of the lights and the emergency phones.

He looked around for a way in. He spotted the small door set into a small building that looked like it held a staircase, then spotted the small ashtray and half smoked cigarettes laying in it. Slowly, he approached the door, noting that it was propped open. Edward frowned, then crouched to touch the cigarettes. _Mustang, you must think I'm stupid or something. _Still, he smiled and rose. It looked like his younger self and younger brother weren't the only people he'd have to face in order to succeed in this mission. He didn't know what skills this world's Roy Mustang knew, but he knew he'd have to work hard in order to achieve anything.

He eased open the door, looking for any signs that it might've been tampered with to let anyone who was inside know he was coming. It was probably too late anyway, and they knew he was here. Still, Edward slipped inside and started down the staircase carefully. Only silence and gloom lay ahead of him.

He didn't dare try a light. That would only make him a target, since whoever was waiting for him would be able to see him before he saw them. Of course, he knew that there had to be a trap. Getting in had just been too easy. Edward took a deep breath and made sure his hood was pulled up enough to obscure his face before he moved from the stairs to the first landing.

If he hadn't known who he was up against, he probably never would've seen the alchemy circle drawn on the concrete landing. In just a second of seeing it, he knew the circle's purpose and what it was designed to do. He stepped around it, carefully watching where he put his feet just in case there was something else waiting for him. He kept low to keep out of anyone's line of sight, and reached another set of stairs. There, he was able to see down onto the floor. He saw shapes huddled together in the dimness and felt a flash of ice run through his veins. It was the same flash of ice that went through him every time he was about to take a life, like he was separating himself from what he was about to do.

He leaped the railing and as he fell from above, he clapped his hands together to focus the destruction alchemy on his left hand. The flesh took the damage better than metal, and he knew how to protect his flesh and bones from both being affected by his own alchemy, and the blowback that came from using the alchemy on a living person. He realized something was wrong before he'd even struck the first body he came to. His alchemy fizzled out with a red-lighted snap and he stood there, stunned. Then he started to laugh, quietly, to himself. He'd been tricked.

He dodged to the left, escaping the alchemical circle drawn on the ground seconds before the circle could completely activate and the concrete floor could become his cage. He spotted his younger self in the shadows, saw the look of irritation on the boy's face as he realized his prey had escaped him. Then Edward dodged a punch to his face that came from Alphonse. He caught the armor's wrist and spun, sending Alphonse skidding across the floor with a yelp. A snap sounded in the darkness, and Edward threw up a hand to shield his eyes from the sudden glare of firelight, and realized he had to move before the flames reached him. He fell into a roll that took him into the deeper shadows and there fought to control his breathing to keep from making too much noise.

"We know you're there." Came the deep voice that made his stomach twist and his chest tight. "There's no way out. Just surrender peacefully."

He heard movement and knew that his younger self was looking for something to transmute into a light source. If they turned the lights on, then they were all on an equal field. If they kept the lights off, Edward was sure he could incapacitate at least one of them. He focused on Alphonse, not because the boy was the least of them, but because his little brother was the one he'd do anything for. And if his younger self acted the same way he did, then targeting Alphonse was his only option. Edward hated himself for doing what he was about to do, but he had to get away. His own brother's life depended on it.

He found the armor silhouette in the inky darkness and rushed it. He heard Alphonse gasp as he saw Edward coming on and tried to back-pedal out of the way of the black-clad man as he rushed him. Alphonse saw - or thought he saw - the killer's hands come together just like his brother's would before he performed alchemy. Alphonse quickly tried to get out of the way, trying to put distance between him and those hands that had the power to destroy in the blink of an eye.

"Wait! Wait!" Alphonse cried. "I just want to talk to you!"

Edward hesitated, then slammed his hands down onto the floor, breaking the concrete down into its basest parts. It flung a cloud of dust into the air, obscuring their view, and Alphonse crashed to the ground. Edward stood over him, staring down at him, and then he looked to the side to see his younger self attacking with a spear fashioned from stone and turned into metal. He danced back, avoiding the spear tip as he sought a weapon of his own.

There was a loud snap, and suddenly flames surrounded him, licking at the material of his black coat. Cursing, Edward spun out of the flames as fast as he could, grabbing hold of the spear as it came for his side. He heard his younger self yelp as he was thrown forward into Roy, and Edward spun the spear expertly in one hand, all the while putting out the flames with the other.

There was the crackle of alchemy, and Edward looked over at Alphonse in time to see the boy's hands touching another alchemical circle. This time, Edward realized he wasn't going to escape. Not by normal means, anyway. He looked over where Roy and Ed stood watching, waiting for him to make a move. Edward lifted the spear and threw it as hard as he could, not aiming for anyone in particular. Roy still grabbed Ed and pulled him toward safety, and the spear tip crashed into the concrete, breaking the circle. That was when Alphonse rushed him, using his superior martial arts to his advantage. He might've beaten his brother, but Edward had had years to match Alphonse's skill in hand to hand combat. The nineteen year old easily caught Alphonse's first punch and retaliatory kick, and then he was assaulted by his younger self.

Gritting his teeth, Edward knew there was no other way to escape this than the obvious solution. Between fighting his other self and his other self's younger brother, and Roy Mustang waiting in the wings, preparing who knew what, it was his only real escape plan. It glared at him almost as much as the reality that he'd failed in his task. And the moment Olivier found out, he'd either kill Alphonse, or he'd capture Edward himself so he could make the elder Elric watch his brother die slowly and painfully.

Somehow he managed to put distance between the younger Elrics and tried to get the right permutation of the alchemy sequence he needed secure in his mind's eye. In the scant second it took for him to fix that formula, Edward found himself being assaulted by a new set of flames. They came so fast and so strong that he was forced to stop his alchemy and cover his face with his arms. He grunted in pain as the metal of his automail arm began to heat up and sear through the black cloth of his coat. He could feel the flames against his flesh as well, and that hurt slightly less than where metal touched his skin. He saw Roy - this world's Roy - standing just outside his reach, performing his alchemy in quick sequences of snapping fingers.

There was a loud clap and alchemical light flared behind him. He saw the shadows of rising concrete and knew he had only seconds to make a decision. No going back now, not if he wanted to survive and keep anyone from knowing who he was. He surprised Roy by launching himself into the flames, keeping his arms crossed in front of his face. It still hurt like a wicked bitch, but he wasn't going to be as severely hurt as he would've been trying to go around. Just before the concrete prison slammed shut, he crashed into Roy, disrupting the Colonel's alchemy and sending them both to the floor.

Edward was on his feet in an instant, running for the far wall. He heard two voices cursing behind him and the hollow pounding of armored feet. He brought his hands before him and clapped them together, then hit the wall full force and unleashed his alchemy at the same time.

The wall exploded outward. Edward flew through the opening, pummeled by debris of his own making. He could hear the shouts of the guards and stumbled upright, nearly dragging himself out of the pile of brick and mortar. Hot blood cascaded down one side of his face where a piece of jagged brick had struck. His black coat was torn in several places, but his hood seemed to be intact. The parts of the coat, and his clothes beneath, that had been charred by fire tore off as he extricated himself, and he spared a moment to look at himself. His automail leg was exposed slightly, a brief flash of metal each time he bent his knee. His right arm wasn't working at all.

_Shit. Winry's gonna kill me._

Despite himself, Edward grinned at the automatic thought and then sobered. She wasn't here. He wasn't going to die from a wrench to the head today.

He gripped his right arm with his left to keep the limb from flopping everywhere uncontrollably as he ran. Behind him, he heard shouts from the soldiers, calling out to see if everyone was okay and still in one piece. Then he heard Roy's voice, deep and strong, yelling at the soldiers that everyone was fine, get out of the way, and then there was a loud snap and Edward felt the rush of heat at his back. He launched himself forward to avoid the heat, but the damage had already been done. His back screamed in agony as he forced himself up and tried to run.

He felt more than heard the pursuit and knew that it was Roy behind him. With his longer legs, he'd be able to catch up far faster than Ed, and Alphonse wouldn't leave his brother behind. So he ran, and as he crested the small hill that he hoped would take him out of Roy's line of sight, a hand reached out of the darkness and grabbed his flesh arm.

Edward gasped as he was jerked around and inhaled even more sharply as he saw the face of the person who had grabbed him. Roy Mustang's single eye glittered darkly at him from under a silly bolero cap. Then he swung Edward behind him hard enough to make the young man gasp in fresh pain and Mustang turned to regard Edward's pursuit.

There were twin snaps, almost at the same time, and as the heat of twin fires washed around him, Edward could do nothing more than give in to the pain coursing through his body and pass out.


	12. Chapter 12

Twelve

Edward slowly opened his eyes and stared at a plain off-white ceiling above him. His flesh fingers felt a soft fabric beneath them, and after a little more exploring, he realized it was a quilt. He also could feel his right arm again, so he figured someone had fixed his automail while he'd been unconscious.

His thoughts stopped abruptly.

He sat up so fast the room spun, and he closed his eyes as his body protested the movement.

"I was wondering if you would wake up soon."

Edward opened his eyes and looked over at the speaker. Roy Mustang's single black eye studied him, his face carefully neutral. He was dressed in black slacks and a dark blue button down shirt. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he sat strategically in a chair in front of the only door in the room. Edward realized the room had no windows.

"Why are you here?" Edward asked, keeping his voice carefully neutral.

"I came after you. I figured it out, all those papers you left for me. Why you left in the middle of the night instead of waiting for me."

Edward curled his fingers slightly into the material covering his legs. "I didn't want you involved. This is my problem."

Roy rose abruptly from the chair, and Edward flinched. "Your problem?" Roy said gently, and it was all the more terrifying for that gentleness. "It's not just your problem, Ed! I thought you were gone for good when you and Alphonse went beyond the Gate, and then you showed up on my doorstep, telling me your brother was taken."

"I didn't want you-"

"Finish that line and I'll hit you."

Edward closed his mouth and just looked at Roy. Roy ran a hand through his hair. "Why, Ed? Why didn't you ask me for help? You know I would do anything for you."

"That's just it." Ed said. "You would do anything for me. And I couldn't let you help me. This is my mess. I got us into this. I'll get us out."

"You've always been like that." Roy let out a sigh. "You were always like that, from the first day we met to the day you came back. Do you remember what you told me when you came back? When we were pouring over your notes and memos and trying to figure out how to send you here?"

Ed bit his lower lip until it hurt. "I remember."

"You said you trusted me. Said I was the only one you wanted to know about what was going on. Said I was the only one who'd understand. You asked for my help, and then you just up and vanished. Don't you know how worried I was about you? How I wondered if you'd made it safely, if you were in bits and pieces in some never-where? Was that time, that night, so meaningless to you?"

Ed felt heat fill his cheeks. "It wasn't meaningless!"

"Then what was it, Ed? Because I distinctly remember you saying a few things, and sounding like you meant them!"

Edward's eyes stung with tears. He blinked them away. "I meant it. All of it. I love you, Roy, I really do. But this... You already have enough ghosts to live with."

Roy sighed deeply. "And you don't? Ed, I fought by your side the entire time you were growing up from a twelve year old brat to the fifteen year old you were when you first crossed over. Not a day went by after that that I didn't think about you and blame myself for what happened to you."

Ed looked at Roy and shivered. "I thought I told you that wasn't your fault."

Roy moved and sat on the bed beside the blonde, reaching to take hold of Ed's flesh hand. He squeezed his fingers tightly, then stared at the pale skin that looked even paler against his own. "I still blamed myself. And then to finally have you back, even under the circumstances that it was... I was happy."

Ed returned Roy's grip. "I was happy, too. I was happy to see you again, to finally be with you and tell you exactly how I felt. But Alphonse... he needed me and it was my fault he was taken like that. You shouldn't have come. This isn't your fight."

"None of it was your fault. You Elrics just seem to attract the crazy and power-hungry." Roy's expression softened a bit. "And it is my fight. Ed, you left all your notes for me. I translated them, just like you knew I would. How could I not interpret that as a plea for help? Especially after you just disappeared on me like you did?"

Ed was quiet for a time. He leaned into Roy and rested his head on the older man's shoulder. Roy pressed his lips to soft golden hair. Finally, Edward released a sigh. "I've killed people."

"I know."

Ed pulled away and stared at Roy. "What do you mean, you know?"

Roy smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eye. "Come on, Fullmetal. I know you're not stupid or dense. Haven't you figured out what's happened?"

Ed blinked. Blinked again. And then it hit him. The bed, the ceiling, the very room he was in - it all pointed to the fact that he'd been caught. He felt the blood rush from his head and stared at Roy. "Did they..."

Roy nodded. "After you passed out, and I stepped in to keep my other self from roasting us both, there were the customary freak outs and exclamations of the impossible and hows and whys and so on. Of course, I haven't let them see your face yet, mostly to keep down the noise and the psychotic emotional episodes you tend to have when faced with the impossible. But I managed to tell them enough to keep them from asking too many questions and convince them you're most certainly a victim in all this. So, my other self graciously decided not to have us arrested, aided our escape from the area, and now is currently putting us up in a safe house in Central."

Ed stared. "And?" He asked weakly.

Now Roy smiled widely. He was enjoying this, the bastard. "And there are three people downstairs waiting for you to wake up and come down to explain why they shouldn't turn you in and/or execute you on the spot."

Edward just gaped at him.

Roy leaned in and stole a kiss from the blonde. "And before you even consider it, if you try to escape, I'll know. And then you're not only going to have to fight me, but my other self, your other self, and your little brother."

Edward continued to stare at him. "You're such a bastard." He whispered.

Roy kissed him again, tangling his fingers in long blonde strands to keep Ed from biting his lip. "And you enjoy every minute of it. Now, are you going to come downstairs and help me explain all this, or should I let them come up and pin you down?"

Ed glowered at him but gave him a grumpy kiss anyway before shoving the Flame Alchemist back and pushing off the covers. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and slowly stood. "Any chance I can get a shower first?" He asked Roy.

The Colonel stood and smiled. "I think we can fit it into our schedule."

Edward glared at him. "You're not invited."

"Of course not."

"I mean it."

"Whatever you say, Fullmetal."

Roy Mustang studied his other self, who stood at the bottom of the stairs, arms folded across his chest and his single eye focused on the small blonde who currently sat at the kitchen table. Roy hadn't believed it at first, what the one-eyed him had been telling him, but there was no other plausible explanation. The man certainly wasn't a homunculus, since he could use alchemy, and the fact he knew everything Roy himself did certainly threw a wrench in the clone theory. Edward and Alphonse, too, had been shocked, though Roy had a sneaking suspicion that Alphonse wasn't as shocked as he seemed to be. Edward, however, had started cursing softly and then put two and two together and realized that the only way the one-eyed Roy Mustang could be here was that the translocation alchemy worked. He'd tried to wheedle information out of the other Mustang, but the man proved to be much harder to crack than Roy had expected himself to be. The fact that his other self was also older than he was wasn't lost on him either.

"How much longer is that bastard gonna take?" Ed grumped, looking at the other Mustang.

"As long as I damn well feel like taking."

Roy snapped to attention at the all-too familiar voice, and even Ed went a few shades paler. Standing just behind the other Roy was Edward Elric. Only this Ed was older, slightly taller, and hadn't bothered to put his hair in its customary braid. His automail right hand was pressed against the wall, gleaming dully in the light from the kitchen overhead bulb. His golden eyes were carefully neutral as they surveyed the three people standing - or sitting - in the kitchen.

"You... You're..." Ed stammered, for once speechless.

The other Ed looked at his younger self. "For the sake of keeping us sane, just call me Elric and him Mustang." He jerked his thumb at the one-eyed Roy. "To answer your question, yes and no. Yes, we are you, but at the same time, we aren't you. We're both older. We both come from a timeline alternative to the one you're in right now."

Alphonse made a noise. "That's how you knew what alchemy to use to put me back together. You are my brother, just an older version of him."

Elric nodded. "That's right."

Ed sputtered for a moment. "So why are you here? Why are you killing people? Didn't you realize if you were caught by anyone else it'd be my name and face that'd be plastered everywhere?!"

"I'm here because my brother is here." Elric replied, seemingly unconcerned with the obvious fact Ed had just stated.

"What do you mean?" Roy asked. "Alphonse is here, too? Where?"

Mustang stepped forward to allow Elric to move to a vacant chair. He said, "There are things we can't tell you, so you'll just have to accept the answers we give you. Long story short, Alphonse was kidnapped by a psychotic madman and is being held hostage."

"In order to get him back, the deal was that I would take out the people working on the translocation alchemy in this timeline." Elric said. "If I succeeded I'd get my brother back. If I failed, Alphonse would be killed."

"I would never agree to kill people!" Ed protested.

"That's why you're you, and I'm me." Elric said mildly. "You haven't experienced what I have. You haven't seen the things I have. Besides, you're what, fourteen? I've got five years experience on you, kiddo."

"Don't call me that. It's weird to hear yourself say that."

Roy looked at Mustang. "And how do you fit into all this?"

Mustang tilted his head toward Elric. "He came to me and asked for help."

"Why didn't you come with him originally?"

"Because I didn't. I'm lucky I even made it in one piece. Translocation alchemy is dangerous." Mustang rubbed the back of his neck. "You're looking at the only two people who know how to do it with high chances of success."

"Translocation alchemy requires the alchemist to break down the very atoms of an object and recreate them in a different location. Alphonse and I invented it as a way of communicating with Mustang. We were experimenting with non-living objects, seeing how much distance we could cover." Elric paused, as if he were debating with himself about how much information to reveal. "We were being watched. Olivier leads a secret society that goes by the name of the Académie. They want to use science and alchemy to basically dominate whatever society and country they end up in."

"And since you and Alphonse were using this translocation alchemy, he wanted to use it?" Alphonse reasoned.

Elric nodded. "We refused, of course. We never intended to use live creatures, and if our experiments worked then Mustang, and Izumi, would be the only ones who would be able to translate our work and send us a reply."

"But Olivier took Alphonse." Mustang said. "And he forced Ed - Elric - to perform the alchemy on him, Alphonse, and several of his men. They intended to end up in our time, but something went wrong and they ended up here."

"And when I followed, I appeared in my own timeline." Elric said. He lifted his hands when he saw Ed's look of confusion. "Imagine there are two worlds, mirror images of each other. They're connected by a Gate, much like the Gate of Knowledge. If you can pass through this Gate, you can go from world A to world B and vice versa. But imagine there's another world A and B that exist side by side to the first pair, just the second pair's time is different. I'm older than you, Ed, but we're the same person."

Roy blinked in confusion, but it looked like the brothers seemed to understand what Elric was saying. Edward said, "It's like looking into a photograph," he said to Roy, "where you're looking at your past self. For them, we are their past selves."

"But your experiences are totally different." Mustang said. "Many things that we've experienced you either won't experience, or it'll happen in an entirely different way."

"Like we could meet someone who doesn't exist in your time?" Alphonse asked.

"Exactly like. What me and my brother went through is, on some level, identical to yours, but with a few events changed here and there. It'd be like looking in a mirror, only having the reflection distorted."

Ed rubbed his jaw, his gold eyes narrowed slightly as he thought about what he was hearing. "Okay, I get it. And you two won't go back to your own time until you have Alphonse back."

"And until Olivier can't hurt anyone anymore." Elric responded. "If he's allowed to go to ground here, he's going to cause some irreversible problems."

Now it was Roy's turn to rub his jaw. "We're going to need a plan then. If he meant it when he said he'd kill your brother, then it won't be long before he realizes you've been compromised. I've managed to convince the higher-ups that you escaped, but if you start running around the city trying to save your brother, that might cause some problems."

Elric laughed. "He's even dumber than you, Mustang."

Roy scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Mustang cracked a smile and regarded Elric with an expression Roy wasn't sure he wanted to read too much into. "What he means to say is that we know how to blend into a crowd. If he was so easy to find before, you wouldn't have had to place a trap for him."

"And I know where Olivier's based. Or at least one of his hideouts. He might've changed it since our last... visit... but I should be able to find him. Or his goons will find me." Elric shrugged.

"So how do we take care of this case?" Alphonse asked. He looked between Elric and Ed. "No one is going to believe the older, alternate version of the Fullmetal Alchemist killed those people."

Ed saw a shadow cross over Elric's face. "Can we use someone else? Maybe we could use Olivier himself?"

Elric tilted his head to the side. "We could. If we can catch him. He's not like the other people we've faced in the past. He's smart to the point of paranoid, and he's never alone."

"We'll just have to set a trap for him." Alphonse said. "He's going to be looking for you, right?"

Elric nodded slowly. "He'll definitely be looking for me, especially if he wants to gloat."

Silence filled the kitchen for a moment. Finally Roy said, "Let's take some time to figure out what to do. Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll come to us." He looked at Mustang and Elric. "I'd prefer it if you two stayed here until we figure out our course of action. We have to go report in and get debriefed about the case."

"I'm sure we can find something to do until you three get back." Mustang replied. Elric shot him a look that was bitingly feral. Mustang just kept smiling.

Roy gave a slow nod. He didn't really want to know what his other self was thinking of. "Just... don't leave here, okay?"

"Don't worry. We won't." Mustang looked at Elric. "Right?"

"Whatever."

Roy looked at Ed and Alphonse. The younger Elrics seemed almost hesitant about leaving, but Ed finally got to his feet and moved to follow Roy out of the kitchen. Alphonse wasn't too far behind them. When they reached the street, Ed looked up at the apartment building and frowned deeply.

"What is it, brother?" Alphonse asked.

"I dunno." Ed replied slowly. "I kind of don't want to ask myself the question, because I'm pretty sure I won't like the answer."

"But you're going to ask anyway, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Ed said, almost unsure. "Probably."


	13. Chapter 13

Thirteen

If the younger Elrics were surprised that he and Mustang were still in the apartment, they didn't show it. After returning from Central HQ with Roy, Edward and Alphonse had told Elric what had transpired at the debriefing and what the government wanted done now. Roy had stayed behind in order to try and buy them some time so they could figure out how to catch Olivier and rescue the older Alphonse from the Académie. The plan they had come up with was half-assed at best, but it was something they had agreed upon. After they'd called the small meeting over, Elric had gotten up and stalked out of the kitchen, heading into the little den room that was hidden near the back of the apartment and offered a view of the alley behind the building.

After a moment, Ed followed his older self, finding it both unnerving and exhilarating that he was standing in the same room as himself, just his other self was four years older and a killer.

"So, uh," Ed began, unsure of how to broach the subject of what he wanted to ask.

Elric looked at him. "What is it?"

"It's kind of embarrassing."

"I'm not telling you what's happened to me in my timeline or telling you what might possibly lay in your future."

"It's not that. I mean, that'd be kind of cool, especially if you could tell us where to find a Philosopher's Stone." Ed trailed off as he saw his own golden glare turned on him. Recovering, he then asked, "So what's with you and Mustang?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean. He wouldn't leave your side the entire time you were unconscious, and he certainly didn't seem like he was willing to let any one of us, the Colonel especially, near you."

Elric gave a soft laugh. "He always was a jealous bastard."

"What do you mean?"

Elric just looked at his younger self. "You're not that dense, Ed. Figure it out."

Edward just stared at Elric. Then his golden eyes went wide. "You...! You two aren't...!"

Elric smiled and the expression seemed almost gleeful. "We are."

"But that... that's disgusting! I'd never... with him! Why? Why? With him, seriously? How could you _do_ that?"

"Do I really need to explain why? It's one of those things you can't explain, and if you tried, your head would probably explode."

Ed continued to gape. "But... how?"

"How do we do it, or how did we get in the relationship on the first place?"

"Both."

"When Al was taken and I made it back to Mustang, I asked him for his help in getting my brother back. One thing led to another and now we're together. Remember how I said our experiences differ? Here's an example. As for the other matter," Elric smiled, "think circle peg in circle hole theory."

Ed's face turned bright red. "You actually like that?"

"Don't knock it till you try it. I won't bore you with the details, but Mustang's pretty attentive."

Ed turned even brighter red and hurried out of the room, nearly bumping into Mustang as he went. The one-eyed man watched the small blond go, and then looked toward Elric. "What'd you do to him? I thought I was the only one who could make you look that way."

Elric just shrugged. "What do you want?"

"Besides spending some time with you before we go rescue your brother? Only to make sure we have a way of getting home when we're done here."

"We'll get home the same way we got here."

"And what about..." He gestured to the outside rooms.

Elric canted his head to the side and wrapped his arms around his chest. "That might take some doing."

"Biological alchemy, you mean."

Elric nodded. Mustang slowly came closer and wrapped his arms around Elric, pulling him close and resting his cheek against soft blonde hair. Elric leg out a sigh. "That was Alphonse's specialty." He said softly. "He could figure out exactly what to do as far as the body and mind went. He'd be the one who could do that."

"Which means our getting home hinges on getting him back."

"More or less."

Mustang nodded. "I could tell you don't like this plan so much."

"It's a stupid plan, but it's our only plan."

"Do you think it'll work?"

"I can only hope."

Mustang shifted to look Elric in the eyes. "We're going to get him back, and then we're going to go home."

Elric smiled. Then he leaned up and kissed Mustang on the lips. "Of course we are."

"And then you and I are going to have a long talk."

"About what? And if you say babies I'm going to deck you."

Mustang laughed. "No. Not babies. Just what our future is going to be."

Elric tilted his head to the side and smiled a little. "All right. Fine. We'll talk. Until then, I just need you to back me up and watch my back. Olivier isn't going to let Alphonse go without a fight."

"When my other self gets back, we'll tell him the plan and then we'll get started. I want to get this over with."

Elric's smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'd like to get this over with. I want Al back. I want to go home. I want to see everyone again, and I want to finally live in some relative peace and quiet."

"You're the Fullmetal Alchemist, Hohenheim's son, and my boyfriend. 'Peace and quiet' isn't even in your vocabulary anymore."

Elric laughed softly. "I'll remind you of that the next time someone shows up at our doorstep asking for the Flame Alchemist."

Mustang smiled a little. He hugged Elric tighter. "Have you figured out how to play off your kills?"

"Three people will know the truth in the end. I think the two of us have already spilled our share of blood and we can live with that. I don't think Alphonse will have too much of a problem with it, but I know him. He wouldn't have wanted me to do what I did. But there's no going back now."

"I know. Are you going to be okay?"

Elric nodded instead of answering. There was no going back, no turning back time. If I could bring those people back, I would, but we all know what happens when someone does that."

Mustang grimaced. "Yeah, we do."

"So we'll move forward and try to live our lives the best we can." Elric leaned up to kiss Mustang again. "And if Alphonse has the urge to hit me, I guess I'll have to let him hit me."

"You sure are a masochist."

"I get that from my father."

Mustang chuckled but he didn't say much after that. They just stood there, together and in silence, waiting for Roy to come back.

The hours passed too slowly for some, and too quickly for others. And when Roy returned to the apartment, he gave Ed a strange look when the boy looked at him, turned bright red, and quickly looked away. Shrugging it off, he listened to the plan the four had come up with, then frowned slightly.

"Do you think it'll work?" Roy asked as he looked at Elric.

The blonde shrugged. "Only one way find out."

Roy nodded. "Let's get started then."


	14. Chapter 14

Fourteen

Elric led the way toward Olivier's warehouse, moving slowly and with care, as if he were seriously hurt. He had to make Olivier believe he was hurt, since the trap that had been laid for him by his younger self had managed to foil his plans. He didn't doubt for a second that Olivier had already moved Alphonse, so the only way to get him back would be to capture Olivier and force him to tell them where the younger Elric was being kept. It wasn't going to be easy, and a few buildings might be destroyed in the process, but one had to expect that kind of thing during a battle with alchemists.

Behind him, keeping a good distance, were the younger Elrics and Roy. Mustang was keeping an even greater distance so if they needed help, he'd be able to reach either team in time. Once Elric managed to get Olivier out, or one of Olivier's goons out, Ed and Al would join him in trying to wrangle their target and Roy would make sure no one was able to escape. Then the four of them would get the answers they wanted, so that they could put a stop to the Académie's plans and get Alphonse back.

Elric stepped into the open before the warehouse's main doors, looking at the old building with a little bit of trepidation, but he took a soft breath and started to head inside. He had to trust the others to do their jobs, and ironically enough, he was worried about his younger self and his little brother would falter at the last minute. Then he bit back a smile. He had to trust Ed to do the right thing. He'd be doing the same if their roles were reversed.

The warehouse was dark when he entered, but he could sense that there was someone there. He didn't know who it was, but he was sure it wasn't the person he wanted it to be. He looked left and right, trying to see how far he needed to step in in order to make sure the doors wouldn't be slammed shut behind him and leave him cut off from help. If the others had to bust their way in here, Elric was fairly sure they would end up being caught off guard by anything that might be engaged with him.

"Olivier!" Elric called out. His voice echoed in the building. He wasn't answered, and he wasn't surprised. He took another step forward, doing his best not to over-exaggerate his "injuries". "Olivier, are you here?"

It took a moment before he was certain he wasn't alone. He looked up toward the walkway where someone was moving, and he looked up to see the woman who had attacked Alphonse in the alley. He thought her name was Erika or something like that. He hadn't bothered to learn the names of Olivier's underlings, mostly because they had nothing to do with his deal with Olivier. Erika stared down at him in that superior way of hers, her arms folded across her chest. He realized she was probably hiding the alchemical circle that was tattooed on her hand.

"What do you want?" Erika asked, her voice harsh. "Olivier won't deal with you anymore. You failed in your task."

"Is that what he said?"

Erika scowled. "You failed. You no longer have any use for us. We'll take good care of your brother."

Elric gave a lopsided smile. "So does that mean you're going to kill me?"

"Of course. You were given a task. You not only failed in that task, you also fell for a trap set for you by a fourteen year old boy."

"And? So I got tricked. It happens. So, here's the new deal. You tell me where Olivier is holding my brother, and you get to stay on this side of the living a little longer. I've killed quite a bit of people for you. It wouldn't be hard for me to add one more bloodstain to my hands."

She stared at him, as if she didn't believe him at all. Her frown became a scowl. "Who are you to threaten me, boy? Don't forget what I'm capable of."

"What, alchemy?" Elric laughed. "Please. You learned how to do it in a week or two. I've been doing it for nineteen years."

Erika's scowl deepened. "Olivier was right. Without the proper incentive, you turn rogue quick enough."

Elric stopped laughing and his smile became strained. "I won't ask again. Where's my brother?"

Because he knew it was coming, Elric managed to avoid the worst of her attack. Erika's alchemy still blew off half the front of the building, but the strike was so wild that Elric managed to get out of the way and retaliate with alchemy of his own. That was the signal to the others waiting outside. He heard Alphonse moving to intercept Erika as she ran for freedom and quickly gave chase to her as well. He spun around a blind corner and nearly was clotheslined to the ground. A man stood there, dressed in army fatigues and a deep scowl in his face. Elric saw the alchemy circle carved into his palm a second before the ruby light of alchemy blinded him.

A clap sounded in the split second after, and Elric heard a grunt as the man no doubt took the brunt of Ed's alchemy. Elric shook his head to try and clear his eyes, and saw that Ed had transformed the metal wall into a series of spikes, each one longer and thicker than his arm. Between them stood the man in army fatigues, the hand with the alchemy circle pinned to the opposite wall by a spike that nearly split his hand in half. Elric looked over at his younger self and saw in those gold eyes the same determination that had been in his when he swore to take lives to get Alphonse back.

"You okay?" Ed asked.

Elric picked himself up and brushed himself off. "I'm fine. Where's Alphonse?"

"Chasing down that broad with the Colonel." Ed replied. "Figure if we catch both of them, someone's going to talk sooner or later."

Elric nodded. He looked at the man pinned to the wall. "Hear that? It's probably in your best interest to tell us what we want to know."

The man hawked and spat at Elric's feet. "I'll never betray Olivier."

Elric smiled and it didn't quite reach his golden eyes. "Everyone says that. They won't betray their leader, or they won't betray their friends and loved ones. But you know, eventually everyone's betrayed in one way or another. But no matter. I don't need you to talk willingly."

Ed frowned as he looked at his older self. "What are you planning to do?"

"You really want to watch?"

"Someone's got to be here to stop you when you start to go too far."

Elric regarded Ed coolly and shrugged. "I won't hurt him. Too much."

Ed watched as Elric stepped forward. He clapped his hands, then passed his left hand over his right, shaping the automail of his right hand into a blade. Ed had done this plenty of times himself, much to Winry's chagrin, so that in itself wasn't unusual. But it was what Elric did next that had Ed paling a bit. The older version of himself set that blade against the spike that pierced the man's hand. Then Elric said, "Here's the deal. I'm going to ask you a question. You're going to give me an answer. If you don't, I'm going to start with the first knuckle of each finger and work down. When I reach your wrist, I'm going to take your skin off, then each layer of fat and muscle until I reach bone."

"Can you do that?" Ed asked, his voice a little tight.

"I've done it before, with varying degrees of success." Elric responded. "But practice makes perfect, as they say."

The man's eyes bugged out of his head as Elric moved the blade to the first knuckle of his thumb. He inhaled sharply at the feel of metal on his skin. "I won't talk." He hissed. "Torture me all you want."

"Where is Olivier?" Elric asked, apparently ignoring the man. When he didn't talk, Elric twitched his hand. Ed turned green as blood sprayed. The man held in the howl as his thumb dropped to the ground. Elric set the blade against the next knuckle. "Where's Olivier?"

The man pressed his lips together. The second half of his thumb quickly followed the first. Ed swallowed hard to keep from being sick. Elric seemed to have no sympathy for his victim or for his younger self. Ed hadn't believed it when his other self had told him what he'd had to do to survive, how he'd had to turn a part of his humanity off to complete the tasks he'd been assigned. He'd killed people. The alchemy had made it impersonal, but Ed was looking at a side of himself now that even he knew lurked in the dark depths of his soul. He'd do anything for his little brother, and he knew that being a State Alchemist would mean he'd have to do things that would scar his soul. He forced himself to watch Elric work, because this was a side of himself he had to reconcile with.

"You're almost out of fingers." Elric crooned after a while. He paused as explosions sounded from outside the warehouse. He focused on his prey and smiled. "Sounds like your friend's having a hard time."

"She'll never fall to you." Panted the man, his face pale and sweaty.

"It's not me she has to deal with right now." Elric said. "So, let's keep going. Where's my brother?"

The last bit of the man's pinkie finger fell to the floor, splashing in a growing pool of blood. The man howled this time, straining and struggling against the spikes holding him in place. Elric watched him dispassionately. He lifted the blade away and cleaned it on the man's shirt. Ed swallowed hard. He looked at the man. "Why don't you just tell him?" He asked. "Certainly it'd be better just to tell him than lose your hand, right?"

The man looked at Ed pleadingly. When he looked at Elric, and saw the blank gold-eyed stare, fear entered his eyes. Elric lifted the blade and set it against the man's palm. "Your skin's next. I'll be careful not to cut any nerves."

The man shuddered. "Okay! Okay okay okay okay!" He panted harshly. "Olivier's got this base outside Central. He's had it for a while. He does his experiments there, trying to perfect the alchemy you invented."

"Why?" Elric asked. "He's got me playing his assassin, I get that. But why does he want that alchemy? Only two people can perform it - me and my brother. And Alphonse only knows a few sequences."

The man shrugged. "I don't know! I swear! Something about merging worlds, I don't know!"

"Is Alphonse there?"

"As far as I know! Olivier keeps him close. Like the kid's his security blanket or something!"

Elric frowned deeply. He stepped back and kept frowning. Ed watched him for a long moment, then asked, "Should we let him go?"

Elric shook his head. "One more thing - why are you and Erika here?"

The man's lips thinned. Once more, Elric took his automail blade to the man's hand, shaving off a thin layer of skin from palm to wrist. The man shrieked and strained against his bonds. Elric's mind raced. Why send two of his "best" here? Was it to stall them? If so, they'd done a poor job of it. Elric and the others had split into teams in order to combat such a thing. But something didn't sit right. Elric looked at the pale, sweating man like he was a puzzle. It had been too easy, Elric decided. Too easy to catch this man. His younger self had done it, even. And Roy and Alphonse had chased after Erika, intending to catch her and interrogate her just like he and Ed were doing, though without as much bloodshed.

It hit Elric then that this, too, was a distraction. This man was nothing but a pawn, fodder sent to satisfy Elric's need to find out where Alphonse was. He was meant to distract them, to keep Elric from chasing down Erika.

Erika, who knew the armor was special to Elric. Who knew the armor was something, someone, important.

Elric snarled. "She's here to get Alphonse, isn't she?" He grabbed the man's shirt collar in both hands. "Isn't she?!"

The man smirked. "Two halves make a whole right? If your brother knows what you taught him, then his brother knows what yours doesn't. Together, they'll get Olivier what he wants."

Edward let out a soft noise. Then he bolted from the hall, running as fast as he could to the door he'd used to enter to get outside. He didn't know if Elric was behind him and he didn't care. He didn't care what the other him would do to the man they'd caught. All he cared about was reaching his brother.

Edward ran, skirting the corner of an alley that looked like it had been scorched with fire. He followed that trail, seeing signs of Al's own alchemy here and there along with Roy's. He saw signs of other alchemy, alchemy belonging to Erika. And then he reached the end of the alley and saw nothing but a pile of rubble that used to be a building. Ed stood panting, then hurried toward the rubble, yelling for his brother. There was no answer.

The rubble shifted then and for a moment, Ed hoped against hope that it was Alphonse. But Roy hauled himself out of the rubble, swiping blood out of his eyes. He looked at Ed and grimaced. "I'm sorry." He said. "I'm sorry, Ed."

Edward felt a cold fist grip his heart and managed somehow not to fall to his knees. Olivier now had both younger Elrics, and their only consolation was that they now knew where he was. Or where he would be, if he didn't change locations. Edward looked up when he heard Elric's footsteps and looked into his older self's haunted golden eyes.

Elric nodded slowly. "We're going to get them back."

Edward heard the dangerous note in Elric's voice, and he realized that his expression probably matched the one Elric was wearing.

_I hope you're ready, Olivier. This is the last time you get to use the Elrics in your game._


	15. Chapter 15

Fifteen

Alphonse came to slowly. It took him a moment to remember what had happened to him. Edward had gone to help Elric while he and Roy had given chase to the woman who had attacked him in the alley. She had taken one look at him and had recognized him instantly. He saw the moment her mind landed on that fact, the fact that she's destroyed his armor, and the fact that someone had put him back together. Then he saw the moment that she figured out who he was, even before the Colonel called out his name.

His last memory was trying to keep a building from crushing Roy. After that... after that, he was waking up here.

Slowly, Alphonse pushed himself up and stared around at the room he was in. It was little more than a prison cell. He had a cot and not much else. The door was a crosshatch of metal bars, thicker than any he'd seen before. Slowly, Alphonse stood and moved toward the door. He studied the bars, then reached to touch them.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Alphonse felt his heart skip a beat. He peered out across the hall and went completely still. Sitting on the floor of the cell opposite his was a boy about eighteen years old, with short dark blonde hair and gold eyes. His lips were curled in a kind smile. Alphonse inhaled sharply. "You're-"

"It's been a long time since I've seen that armor." The older Alphonse said. "I used to both hate and love it."

Alphonse nodded. He'd felt the same over the course of time he'd been in the armor. "I see Brother was able to save you."

"Brother always keeps his promises." There was something else, something that pained the other Alphonse, but he didn't say anything. Instead he smiled. "So you shouldn't worry. They'll come for us."

"You know your brother is here?"

"Mhm. And I know what he's done."

"You forgive him?"

"Brother always takes the tasks that would hurt him more than others." The older Alphonse said quietly. "He takes scars onto his soul so I don't have to. I might hate what he has to do, or what he chooses to do, but he's my brother and I love him. And I do what I can to protect him, too."

"But all those people..." Alphonse trailed off. "They won't come back."

"I know. But I also know Ed will live with that for the rest of his life, and it will haunt him. I know he'd bring them back if he could. If he could turn back time, he'd do that in a heartbeat. But he can't. Neither can I. I have to accept his actions, even if I don't like them. You'll understand some day."

Alphonse blinked. "You love him that much?"

"He's my older brother."

There was silence for a time. Then Alphonse asked, "What does Olivier want with us?"

The older Alphonse looked pained for a moment. "He wants to merge our worlds into one. Doing so would require a great amount of energy, not to mention sacrifices for the equivalent exchange. The only people who can do that are you, me, and our brothers."

"The Colonel." Alphonse said quietly.

"What?"

"The Colonel. I mean, your Colonel. He came here looking for you. He figured out Elric's - I mean, Ed's, but he told us to call him Elric so there wasn't any confusion - and came here looking for your brother to help him find you."

The older Alphonse nodded slowly. "Sounds like the Colonel."

"If Olivier wants to merge the worlds, he just has to wait." Alphonse said.

The older Alphonse gave a little smile. "He can wait as long as he wants to. The only one who can really perform the alchemy he wants is my brother, and even then I don't think Ed would sacrifice even more for a madman's dream."

Alphonse nodded. "So are we waiting for them to come to us?"

"Funny you should ask." The older Alphonse got to his feet and moved toward the cot that was in his cell. He removed a piece of metal that looked like it had been painstakingly shaped into a key over long hours. "Olivier has sensors on the bars that detect alchemy, so I made this. Of course, we may very well get caught before we can escape, so if we choose to do this, we only get one shot."

Alphonse understood. If they escaped and were caught, it was a very good possibility tar Olivier would just have them killed. Or, if he wanted them kept alive for his final plan, he could separate them until he was ready to use them. If they succeeded, then they would be able to escape and meet up with their brothers and the Colonels, and then they would be able to put a stop to Olivier's plans. He looked into his older self's golden eyes and realized he had no intention of escaping to rejoin his brother; if he escaped, he would be going deeper into the lion's den to put an end to Olivier's plans to spare his brother even more scars.

"Do you still want to do this?" The older Alphonse asked.

Alphonse looked his older self in the eyes and said, "Get me out of here."

oooo

Elric jogged lightly down to the small dune they were using as an observation point. Ed was already crouched there with Roy and Mustang, who had shown up a few minutes later. The three of them looked up at his approach, and he nodded to each of them before he settled down beside Mustang.

"How was it?" Mustang asked.

"As bad guy lairs go, pretty standard."

"Defenses?"

"He's got armed guards patrolling the grounds. I recognize most of them as the original group I sent over. Some are new, probably recruited here." Elric rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. "I didn't see any sign of Alphonse. Either of them. But then I couldn't get inside. The building's huge."

Roy chuckled humorlessly. "It used to house ammunition and vehicles during the war with Ishbal. It was decommissioned when the war ended."

"Looks like Olivier made it suit him." Ed commented. "Any clue how to get inside it without alerting anyone that we're coming?"

"Doubt it." Elric said. "Even if we manage to get past the patrols, there's no telling what's on the inside. Olivier's not stupid. He's probably got traps set specifically for us. If we get in, we're going to have to fight."

"We're going to have to fight anyway." Mustang pointed out.

Roy looked at his other self. "I'd rather not make a spectacle out of it though. If we can get in without alerting anyone, we should try."

Ed looked across the expanse between them and the building they wanted to get into. It seemed like an impossible task, to get from here to there without being seen. He knew they would have to fight eventually. Whether it was the main bad guy or the underlings, they would eventually have to do something to defend themselves. Or go on the offensive. But he didn't know how to avoid the possibility of combat before they were ready to fight.

_And Olivier's probably waiting for us to come in, guns blazing._ Ed thought. He looked at Elric and saw an expression on his face that says he'd thought the same thing.

"What if we went underground?" Elric asked after a minute. They all looked at him. "I mean, we make a tunnel from here to there. If we do it right, we should be able to come up right beneath the place and be inside before anyone can react."

"Do you think we have the skill for such alchemy?" Mustang asked.

"Four of us doing it might cause problems, but if only two of us do it, we might have a chance." Elric replied.

"I guess that's you two, then."

Ed blinked. "Why us?"

Elric looked at his younger self. "Do you really want me to answer that question?"

Ed opened his mouth, hesitated, then closed his mouth and shook his head. It was obvious why - his and Elric's height would afford them the greatest advantage to working alchemy in small spaces. He didn't like it - he rarely enjoyed having his height pointed out - but he'd live with it this time. He looked at Roy. "What are you gonna do?"

"I guess we'll provide a distraction." Roy said. "You two worry about getting in from underground. Find your brothers. We'll take care of the men on the outside and try to meet you inside."

Elric looked at Mustang for a long moment. When the one-eyed man nodded, Elric nodded too. "Don't get killed." He said softly.

"I won't." Mustang replied. "Get going."

The two Elrics kept low as they raced from their hiding place, trying to get as close as they could without breaching the perimeter set by some of the patrols. When they were close enough, Elric started the alchemy, transmuting the ground into solid stone that led down into the ground. He didn't need to teach his younger self the next step of the alchemy; the boy was already performing it, easing the dirt up from the tunnel's mouth to form a solid wall of stone.

Down they went for a good ten feet or so before they started easing the tunnel toward the building. About halfway, they felt the tunnel shake as something began above their heads. They could only assume the two Colonels had started their assault, working to distract the Académie and keep them from noticing anything that might be going on inside the building. Even with the extra time being bought for them, Ed and Elric had to move methodically and slowly so that the tunnel didn't collapse on top of them and bury them beneath tons of dirt. They took turns, carefully layering their alchemy to make the foundations strong. Time was insubstantial, but a constant clock always ran in the back of Elric's head, wondering how much longer they had until they reached the building, or if Mustang was buying them enough time. He also wondered how long Alphonse had been imprisoned, and he wondered if his resourceful little brother had managed to free himself. If he had, then their task would become harder or easier depending on who found the younger Elrics first.

"I think we're here." Ed said. His voice seemed to echo, even though he was whispering. "Now do we go up?"

"We go up." Elric agreed. "Just be careful."

"I know." Ed clapped his hands together and pressed them to the dirt above his head.

Slowly, the dirt began to fold backwards as if it were made of liquid. It was painstakingly slow, but Elric said nothing, merely taking over when it seemed Ed had gotten through enough layers of dirt. They kept their systematic pattern, moving slowly until the dirt was cleared away and they found concrete. Then Elric clapped his hands, and began to burrow their way through the concrete floor.

They emerged into a spacious room. It was sparsely furnished, and looked like it had been made in haste. Elric looked around but saw no one. He hauled himself out of the hole he'd made, then reached for Ed and pulled him up too.

Somewhere distant, they could hear yelling.

"Looks like Roy's keeping his word." Ed whispered.

"Looks like. So let's keep ours."

The two hurried out of the room, keeping careful watch for anyone or anything that might alert Olivier to their presence. Elric seemed to have a good idea of where to go, so Ed followed along quietly, though he was straining his ears to try and pick up any sound that seemed out of place.

The warehouse that had once held munitions and vehicles had long since undergone a change. What was once open space had been made over into various rooms and halls, which made their task even harder. They didn't risk using their alchemy to bust through the walls, knowing it might alert the wrong people. Finally, they stopped at a ladder and stared up at it.

"Do we go up?" Ed asked.

"Do we have a choice?" Elric replied.

Slowly the pair began to climb, being careful not to climb too quickly and end up alerting someone to the noise. Of course, with the commotion going on outside, they really didn't have to worry about running into anyone.

They reached the top of the ladder and ended up on a catwalk that barely allowed one person to safely walk across it let alone two. They moved single file, with Ed watching their backs. The catwalk took them to a landing that looked like an observation deck, and what it looked over made Edward whistle lowly. Below them was a giant transmutation circle. Just by reading the symbols, Ed knew that this circle was meant to deal with translocation alchemy. There were lightning rods set at each cardinal point of the circle, and wires running from those rods to a giant generator. As far as Ed could see, there wasn't anyone around, but he knew that was probably only because no one expected anyone to get this far.

"What do we do about that?" Ed whispered, pointing to the circle.

"Nothing."

"What? Why?"

"It's not complete." Elric said lowly. "He's missing several important sequences, and he's missing the only person who knows how to actually perform the alchemy. He can draw it and experiment with it all he wants, but he'll never get it right." He tapped his head. "Everything is in here."

"Which is why he took Alphonse, isn't it?"

Elric nodded. "We'd do anything for our brothers." He lifted his right hand for emphasis. "Olivier got me to do it the first time, but I screwed up somehow and sent them here. I won't do it again."

Edward watched Elric for a time, then turned his gaze to the rest of the room. "So what do we do?"

Elric shifted and turned to look above them, where a huge glass window overlooked the entire room. "I guess we'll try to make our way up there."

Ed followed his older self off the platform and to the set of stairs set into one wall. As they headed up, the heard an explosion above them and ran the last few steps up the stairs. When they reached the top, the dust was just beginning to settle, and Ed felt a relieved from spread across his face.

Standing at the opposite end of the hall, on the other side of a blown out wall, stood both Alphonse the armor and Alphonse the young man. They grinned at their older brothers, but never had the chance to greet them properly. Alchemical light flared, and the floor collapsed beneath them all.


	16. Chapter 16

Sixteen

Edward slowly picked himself up and let out the groan that was in his throat as his body made him know about the new bruises. Across from him, he saw his little brother picking himself up too, shifting out of the rubble. Beneath him, the human Alphonse rose, looking like he'd escaped the worst of the collapse thanks to his younger self. Beside Ed, Elric was getting up as well, hissing softly as he pressed a hand to his forehead.

"Am I bleeding?" Elric asked Ed.

Ed shook his head. "Am I?"

"No." Elric pushed himself to his feet, steadying himself before he helped Ed stand. He looked across the room. "You two okay?"

"We're okay." Replied Alphonse the armor. "Are you?"

Ed and Elric gave them a thumbs up and slowly began to pick their way over to their little brothers. Halfway across, Elric clapped his hands together and pressed them to the rubble, forcing the stone and metal to twist and shape itself into pillars. Ed helped him, trying to clear a path that they could safely use. Suddenly, Elric grabbed hold of Ed and pulled him behind a pillar. Two seconds later, the floor where he'd been standing exploded.

"Shit!" Ed cried, pressing himself against the pillar. "The hell was that?"

"Come out, little alchemists!" Called a female voice. "We won't hurt you. Too much, anyway. You're important, after all."

Ed didn't miss the way Elric shivered. He wondered what had made him react that way - the voice or the words. He quickly pushed it to the back of his mind when Elric stepped out from behind the pillar to face whoever was out there. He started to follow, but paused when Elric shook his head.

"Get to our brothers." Elric said quietly. "Try and get them off the floor if you can. Otherwise, try and shield yourselves."

"Why?" Ed asked.

Elric started moving forward. "Because I'm going to be using some very dangerous alchemy."

Edward waited until Elric had fully left his line of sight before he hurried over to his brother and the older Alphonse. In two leaps he was with them, and he couldn't stop himself from staring at the older version of his younger brother. The older Alphonse smiled, then pressed a finger to his lips and gestured for the younger Elrics to follow him.

As they escaped the lower floor, there was a loud explosion behind them. Steam and dust and debris pelted the pillars and landed close to them. Ed chanced a look behind them and saw Elric bursting out of a cloud of steam, red alchemical light crackling around his left hand. He hit the floor with it, and spikes of stone shot out of the floor, streaking into the steam cloud. Then he was moving again, just before someone burst out of the cloud after him. Ed recognized the body as the woman Erika. Blood streaked her thigh, from a gash where a stone spike must have caught her. Elric danced away from her, clapping his hands together to pass his left hand over his right, forming the blade from his automail.

"Ed! Hurry!"

Edward hurried up the alchemy-made stairs and joined the two Alphonses on the landing above. As his foot left the last stair, the staircase broke apart. He looked at the older Alphonse, who had his hands pressed to the floor. "Your brother won't be able to get up here."

The older Alphonse smiled. "He has no intention of coming up here."

"What do you mean?" Asked the younger Alphonse.

"He's going to kill whoever's down there." The older Alphonse smiled grimly. "The alchemy he's going to use is really dangerous."

Edward swallowed the lump in is throat. "He used that alchemy to kill people."

"I know." The older Alphonse looked pained. "He came up with those sequences to try and protect me, if we ever made it back and we ended up in a worse situation that we're in now. I never wanted him to do this for me, but I'm glad he did."

An explosion drowned out whatever else the older Alphonse might have said. The three of them looked down below and watched the dust cloud settle. Elric stood on a small pile of rubble, his arms slightly up and out for balance. Nearby crouched Erika, blood streaming from a slice on her forehead. She was glaring at Elric, her mouth twisted into a grimace as she struggled to get to her feet. She wobbled a bit, then steadied herself, her hand with the alchemy circle carved into it pointing at Elric. To Ed's surprise, Elric didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he didn't care.

"I won't let you destroy Olivier's dream." Erika hissed, her voice clear.

Elric shrugged. "Then you can have the first shot, because you know I'm damn well going to have the last."

"You're a punk, Edward Elric." Erika spat as she brought her hand down on the concrete beneath her, the stone transmuting into bullets.

"No," Elric replied, bringing his left hand before him, his arm relaxed and his palm pointing downward. "I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist."

He pushed off and was rushing her just before Erika unleashed her alchemy. The bullets raced toward him with deadly accuracy. Ed watched as Elric hit the ground, his left palm hitting the ground as he pushed his body into a roll before springing to his feet. As he did, a rope of stone followed him, its end clutched in his left hand. Ed stared at the rope, still a fluid and moving thing, not yet stone and not yet metal, and marveled at the skill it took to perform such a feat. He watched as Elric yanked on his rope and threw it over Erika's head.

And missed.

"Oh, come on!" Edward hissed. "How could you miss! She's like ten feet in front of you!"

The older Alphonse touched his shoulder. "Just watch."

Erika was moving away from Elric, away from his fully-transmuted metal rope. She was laughing, alchemical light cracking around her as she prepared another attack. Elric moved fast; the sound of his hands meeting was loud even in the roar that followed, and Ed saw at last why his superiors had feared the man who had been killing their pet alchemists.

Elric simply blinked out of existence. A second later, his transmuted rope started to writhe, as if it were becoming a living thing. Ed saw electricity sparking along the metal, and realized Elric had tapped into the building's power grid when he'd transmuted the stone into metal. The whole thing was now conducting an electrical current, so even if he did miss hitting her with all of the rope, there was still be a discharge of energy, because the electricity was seeking a way to ground. And Erika was its way to the ground. Elric reappeared a second later on the opposite side of Erika and his writhing rope, and held out his automail hand as if he was beckoning her. Erika grinned and turned to face him, putting her back to the real danger.

Because he'd been holding the rope before he'd used the translocation alchemy on himself, Elric had magnetized his automail arm. The metal in the rope was now attracted to his automail, and the writhing thing almost lifted itself up into the air in its quest to get to his hand. The only problem was someone was in the way.

So it went through her.

Erika's face suddenly got a surprised look on it. Before she could even scream, the metal rope pushed through her chest with a wet slurpy sound, along with the sudden snap-crack of electricity discharging. Her entire body seemed to ignite as the current rushed through her, suddenly no longer interested in Elric and his metal hand.

Elric moved quickly, clapping his hands together and pressing them to the rubble at his feet. Alchemical light flared, warring with the electricity for brightness. The floor rumbled as the concrete rose up into two thick slabs around Erika, one before, one behind. Edward watched as the two slabs suddenly smashed together, and the electrical current suddenly stopped.

Elric rose slowly, his shoulders heaving as though he was breathing hard. And maybe he was, Ed surmised. Translocation alchemy took a lot of concentration, and to do it battle was incredible. And then to perform alchemy right after, it took nothing short of a genius to have enough energy to do anything.

Elric turned to look up at them, an easy smile appearing on his face when he saw his little brother. Edward glanced at the older Elric and saw the same smile mirrored in his face. Ed couldn't help but grin himself.

Before Elric could begin to move toward them, a slow monotone of sound started, then increased in tempo. Edward realized it was clapping. They all followed the sound to its source, and there, standing on a little catwalk just above where the destroyed floor met the wall on the fare side of the room. Standing there was a man dressed in a smart suit. Immediately, Edward knew right away that the man standing over there was Olivier.

Elric performing a sudden burst of alchemy only confirmed it.


	17. Chapter 17

Seventeen

Olivier burst out laughing as Elric's alchemy diffused mere inches from the catwalk he stood on. Elric cursed and stepped backwards slowly, and as he did, Edward noticed that the older Alphonse was tensing, preparing to respond to something. It was a good thing he was prepared, because a second later he cried out his brother's name as the alchemy that had been diffused inches from Olivier was suddenly shot back out at Elric. The older Fullmetal was barely able to transmute a shield in time, and Ed heard his own brother gasp as the older Alphonse left them on the ledge. He quickly joined his brother on the floor and grabbed him by the shoulder. Ed could only imagine the older Alphonse was asking his brother if he was okay.

"I have to applaud your efforts, Edward." Olivier was saying. "I truly am disappointed that you failed so horribly."

"Failed you, you mean." Elric spat. He straightened to his full height. So did Alphonse beside him.

"Failure is failure." Olivier sniffed. "And I knew once you had time to consort with those two over there that you'd come for your little brother, and for me. So in that time, I prepared all the measures I need to counter your alchemy, and to end you once I get what I want from you."

"I'm not telling you how to use the translocation alchemy."

"Oh, you'll tell me. I know how you work, Edward. You'd rather be hurt than see someone you love get hurt. You'd rather die than be the one to do the killing. That's why all of the deaths were fast and relatively painless." Olivier smiled. "I, on the other hand, know what I need to do to get the answers I want."

Elric looked skeptical and he shrugged. "I don't know what it is with bad guys. They always act like they have the upper hand?"

Alphonse smiled a little. "Because, Brother, it's in the handbook."

"Oh, really?"

Above, the younger Elrics watched their older counterparts in disbelief. Ed looked toward his brother and asked, "Are they taunting him, or something?"

Alphonse shrugged. "They've probably faced this kind of situation more than we have."

Edward just let out a low whistle. "Isn't it ironic that we're going to grow up to be just like them?"

"Ironic and a little bit frightening."

Edward shifted and tried to move toward the stairs that they had taken to reach the platform. The movement seemed to catch Olivier's attention, and the man smiled widely. Ed quickly grabbed Al's hand and pulled him toward the ledge, leaping at the last second. Behind them, the platform exploded, sending debris raining down on all four Elrics as the elder pair used their own alchemy both to soften the younger pair's landing and shield them from the worst of the falling debris. When Ed and Al recovered enough, they looked back up at where the ledge had been, and saw only a gaping, smoking hole in the side of the building.

The older Alphonse grunted softly. "Looks like he mastered step one, Brother."

Elric frowned. "Looks like it." He turned back to face Olivier. "Killing them won't make us disappear, you know."

Olivier just smiled. "Oh, I know. But it'd make me feel so much better."

Elric shifted, more to shield the younger Elrics than to prepare for an attack on the man who was still currently out of reach and protected by something that caused alchemy to first dissipate and then redirect itself back onto the alchemist who had used it to begin with. He looked at the others. "Until we figure out what he's got, we're not going to be able to touch him."

"So what do we do?" Ed asked.

The older Alphonse looked at the distance between them and Olivier. "If we give him a chance, he's going to destroy us. But Ed - I mean, Elric - and I can provide a distraction for you two to get close. Especially you." He looked at his younger self, indicating the armor the boy's spirit was housed in. "You'll have to dodge our alchemy, but it shouldn't be redirected at you. If you can get up there, hand to hand will be your only option."

Alphonse nodded. "I can do that. Brother can figure out what it is he's using to protect himself."

"Be careful."

Edward nodded and clapped his hands, passing his left over his right to form his blade. At the same time, Elric clapped his hands and slammed them down on the rubble they stood on, forming giant spikes that raced toward Olivier. The man just laughed and raised his hand. The spikes crackled with alchemical light as they hit the shield and crumpled into dust. By the time the spikes reformed and launched back at Elric and his brother, Ed and Alphonse were already moving, racing across the room toward the opposite end. They dodged the falling debris where the spikes impacted, sending up clouds of dust that both helped hide them and limited their visibility. The younger pair reached the wall and looked up, seeing the catwalk above them.

"What do you think you can do?" Olivier called down to them. "I lead the Académie! We know everything there is to know! Your alchemy is nothing compared to science, and when combined with it, there's nothing greater than one who has mastered both!"

Edward stared as a flashing light appeared above their heads. A moment later, a swirl of fire appeared and, lightning quick, it crashed down over the two younger Elrics. Ed barely managed to transmute a shield out of concrete in time, but he still felt the heat of the fire against his skin.

"Are you okay?" Alphonse asked as Ed shook his hands out, cursing under his breath.

"I'm fine." Ed replied. He looked out where the older Elrics were, moving as their alchemy was reflected back at them. Above, he could hear Olivier laughing, enjoying watching the alchemists below work to not only try and beat him, but survive their own attacks. Ed knew the others weren't using dangerous alchemy, but it still could hurt if they were hit by it.

Alphonse looked up at where the firestorm had come from. "It looks like there's a circle drawn in the concrete."

Edward followed his brother's gaze and frowned. There was a circle there, very faint. It was crude as far as circles went, but it still was functional, if the firestorm was any indication. Edward let his gaze roam over the rest of the concrete, picking out other crudely drawn circles etched into the stone. He pointed them out to Alphonse, then bent and grabbed a shard of debris. "They look like Roy's circles." Ed said, moving over to the closest one. He clapped his hands, then eased his blade back into the top plate of his automail. "It shouldn't be hard to disrupt these."

Alphonse followed him over, then lifted Ed up so he could scratch a line through the circle. Ed paused though, studying the make of the circle. His eyes followed the formulas, each one making itself clear to him the longer he studied it. The circles weren't like Roy's at all - they only looked like them. The formulas written out were designed to catch and trap the energy of alchemy in a bastardized version of equivalent exchange. The circles were probably drawn all around where Olivier stood, absorbing the alchemical energy Elric was throwing at it, then sending out the equivalent amount of energy in the shape the circle dictated. And the person controlling all of that was Olivier. Which meant there was a master circle to the smaller ones scattered here and there.

"Ed?" Alphonse questioned, his words almost drowned out by another explosion. "What is it?"

"Scratching them out won't do anything but make us go boom." Edward said. "I can redirect the energy they're collecting and redirecting at us back at Olivier."

"And?"

"And the next time Elric or the older you uses alchemy, the circle I'm working on will either blow us up, or redirect the energy to a different circle, blowing it up. I'd have to get to the master circle in order to stop it completely."

"Which is where Olivier is standing and we can't use alchemy to get to him."

"Right. Even if we use alchemy to create a staircase leading up there, there's a circle that's going to take that energy and redirect it out there or at us. And it won't be a staircase it makes."

Alphonse made a concerned noise. "So what do we do? We can't alter all of them."

Ed agreed, nodding his head as he looked for another circle to study. "No... But we can alter enough that maybe the energy they collect will be focused on the master circle."

With that, Ed began to scratch new formulas from the old, focusing on the one above him before directing Alphonse to the second. It took a little longer because Ed couldn't reach some of them, but when he got those taken care of, Alphonse was able to help him. In the meantime, they had to make sure to dodge discharges from other circles as Elric and his Alphonse used their alchemy against Olivier. Finally, Ed decided they were as finished as they were going to get and signaled to Al.

Together, they ran back out to join their elder selves. Edward quickly explained his plan to Elric, and saw understanding in Elric's eyes. Elric looked at his brother and made a hand gesture. The older Alphonse blinked but nodded. Elric looked back at Ed. "Our alchemy will have a bit of a kick to it. You think you two can shield all of us from the blowback?"

Ed grinned. "I know I can."

Elric nodded and looked up at where Olivier stood. Ed looked too, and saw the man grinning as though he knew his victory was assured. Olivier raised a hand and flicked his wrist. A swirl of hot air appeared before him in the air, crackling with alchemical light. The older Alphonse moved, crouching low to put his hand to the concrete rubble. His own alchemy lit up, the circle transmuting the stone in front of them into a wedge-shaped shield. The air compressed, then exploded outward, slicing through the space between them and breaking upon the shield. Ed covered his face out of instinct and out of the corner of his eye saw Elric moving. He didn't go far, but clapped his hands before slapping them to the wedge shield. The stone shifted, undulating as it changed form from a shield to a weapon. The golem that rose out of that stone lifted its spear and heaved it forward, sending the thick stone spear flying.

Olivier laughed as the spear crashed into the shield surrounding him, alchemical light flaring brightly as the energy from the spear was transferred into the shield. Eyes wild, Olivier yelled, "There's nothing you can do, Fullmetal! I am superior to you in every way! Your alchemy will never beat mine!" He dissolved into laughter again, then raised his hand.

That was when the older Alphonse moved, his alchemy activating in quick succession. The stone he transmuted into bullets shot quickly toward the shield, slamming into it. As the energy was absorbed, Elric started to transmute another golem and stone spear, this time creating two out of the material he had left to use. Both Edward and Alphonse waited, crouched low and holding their hands above the concrete Elric was being careful not to use. Alphonse had quickly sketched a circle on his side, and Ed was waiting to clap his hands to form his half of their cover.

The older Elrics' alchemy was consumed by the shield just as they knew it would be, and in the moment it was to be redirected, Ed and Al both activated their alchemy, quickly building a barrier between them and the oncoming onslaught of alchemical energy. Elric crouched behind the shield and covered his ears with his hands, as did the others. A moment later, they could all feel a rumble in their bones. It started like a deep bass drumroll, growing increasingly louder and faster until they could feel their bodies vibrating with the concussion wave. The chain reaction of the altered alchemy circles was causing the concrete to implode, driving a rain of pieces into the air. As soon as the energy ate through those circles, it focused on the only exit it had left - the main circle where Olivier stood.

The entire portion of that side of the building blew outward, scattering charred pieces of concrete into the landscape.

Elric was out of cover before the others. He was racing toward the smoking remains of the wall, sliding around one of the largest pieces of concrete and out of view. Edward and the others followed, hearing a loud clap and then seeing the alchemical light flare behind the rubble.

Ed turned the corner and stopped dead in his tracks, seeing Elric locked in a defensive posture with Olivier bearing down on him with a sword made from the twisted metal that had been used to reinforce the building's wall. Olivier's face was bruised and burned from the explosion. His suit has been ripped and scorched, and Ed could see patches of angry red skin where he had been burned. The whole left side of his body was bloody, as if he's barely managed to escape the blast with his life.

Olivier's eyes turned on Edward then, and in those orbs the young alchemist saw madness and hate. He saw Olivier's hand raise - saw the bloody alchemical circle carved there on its palm - and barely registered that he had about five seconds to move before he was blown to pieces with destructive alchemy.

Ed's entire body vibrated as Elric forced Olivier's hand down toward the ground, making the alchemy hit the ground beneath their feet and explode in a shower of dirt and debris. Ed threw up an arm to shield his face, and then stared wide eyed as Elric leaped out of the cloud to stand in front of him, almost shielding him. The left side of Elric's face was bleeding, a jagged cut above his eye. Behind them, Ed heard his Alphonse grabbing the older version of himself and hauling him backwards, despite vocal protests.

The ground beneath the two Eds suddenly exploded. Both of them were flung into the air, high enough that Edward could see the damage that Roy and Mustang had wrought, and then suddenly he was falling back down to the earth. A hand touched his back and suddenly Ed found himself on the ground, unharmed. He stared around bewildered, then yelped as Elric simply appeared beside him. Elric was panting, sweating a little bit, and Ed saw a bright stain of red against his side.

"You're hurt!" Ed hissed. "You're hurt and you used translocation alchemy on us!"

"Gee, you're welcome." Elric groaned as he straightened, his gold eyes pained as he gained his feet. He clapped his hands and pressed them to his wound, sealing skin with remedial first aid alchemy.

A stone crashed into Elric's chest when he was almost finished. Ed scrambled to his feet and ran after his older self, grabbing the man's shoulder to steady him as Elric gasped for breath. He looked toward the source of that stone and saw Olivier stalking toward them, bloody and bruised and psychotically angry. He lifted his hand, the one with the carved alchemy, and pointed his hand at them. Olivier's chest expanded. "You bastard." Hissed the director of the Académie. "You couldn't just follow orders, could you? No, the great Fullmetal Alchemist has to be the good boy, the good pet, and make everything right like he's some damn glorified hero!"

Ed twitched and nearly had his automail hand blown off. Olivier cackled. "There's nothing you can do, pipsqueak! I win! I will always win! There is nothing - nothing - you can do to stop me! You will tell me the secret to the translocation alchemy, and I will make sure you die in relative peace."

Elric grabbed Ed's arm and pulled himself up so they were both siting side by side. Elric smiled at Olivier. "I won't tell you anything."

Olivier was standing over them now, his hand pointed at them both. "I've always wondered what would happen if both of you died."

SNAP

Olivier howled as fire swirled up around him, engulfing him in a fiery tornado. Ed stared as he listened to Olivier scream, his flesh and bones burned away in the fire that just wouldn't go out. He could feel the heat from the fire, as close as they were to it, but the fire never touched them.

When the fire finally went out, Ed saw Mustang standing there, hand held out and just finally relaxing from its snapping stance. The one-eyed Roy looked at Elric. "Sorry. Did you want to do that?"

Elric just smiled. "And let you miss all the fun?"

"You're never that generous."

"I'm always generous when it comes to you."

Ed just stared at the two of them.

Roy came running up to them a moment later, pausing for a moment as he saw the scorched earth and the ashes in the center of the burned area. He looked at his older self, then sighed. "Great. How am I supposed to explain this to my superiors?"

Elric looked at him and shrugged. "I'm sure we can think of something."


	18. Chapter 18

Eighteen

In the end, they actually managed to figure out a convincing story to feed to Roy's superiors in Central. The Flame Alchemist and the Fullmetal Alchemist had pursued the killer to an abandoned munitions warehouse outside of the city and had confronted the killer there. Roy had been separated from Ed and had been engaged with trying to locate the boy before the killer did. Ed, on the other hand, had gone through the building, not only looking for Roy but the killer. The killer had set traps for them both, which activated when they had used alchemy. After a fierce battle, Ed had finally managed to corner the killer and would've beat him had the killer not used his own alchemy against the boy. Vulnerable, Ed hadn't had time to react and Roy had happened upon them just before the killer would've added Ed's name to his list of victims. Yes, maybe Roy should have tried a more non-lethal way of dealing with the killer, but his subordinate had been in danger, the killer was about to use alchemy himself, and Roy had reacted on instinct and had regrettably incinerated the murderer.

The superiors had accepted their accounting of events, and no one really stepped forward to contradict them. The older Mustang had seen to that, working with Elric to find what was left of the Académie and get rid of them. Roy wisely didn't ask how they'd done it and Elric wisely didn't tell.

A few more days passed in relative peace, and Roy delivered some hopeful news in the fact that the Führer had decided the translocation alchemy was simply too dangerous to utilize and had cut funding to the project. That in turn made the project shut down and the survivors were let back out into the population and returned to their families. The families of those killed received their due, and Bradley himself visited those families to express his condolences.

With the project dead, and nothing else holding them here, the elder Elrics and Mustang decided it was time to leave and go back to their time and world. It was decided the alchemy they'd need to perform would be better done in a less populated area, and so the group traveled to the East Area, where there was few people and even less of a chance of someone spotting them inadvertently. Once they had found a suitable place, Elric and his brother began to draw the required circle and symbols for translocation alchemy. The younger Elrics, Roy, and Mustang stood by watching them work, not saying anything. Ed watched his older self work, pausing now and then to make sure the symbols were right and drawn correctly. Elric was focused on the main part of the circle, while the older Alphonse was drawing in the fine details.

In all, it took the better part of two hours and when the circle was finished, Elric looked toward Ed and the others. Ed smiled. "I guess this is goodbye, huh?"

Elric smiled, but it seemed a little sad. "Yeah, it is. Good luck with your quest, Ed. Things are only going to get harder for you, but you'll make it through okay."

Alphonse the armor looked at Alphonse the young man. "It was nice to meet you."

The older Alphonse smiled. "Same. Which makes what I have to do even harder."

"What do you mean?"

The older Alphonse made a gesture. "You can never know about us. We were never supposed to meet or interact in any way. Since we did, those memories have to go away. It's a delicate form of alchemy, and I'm going to have to use it on all of us."

Roy looked at his older self, who nodded. "We can't know about each other." Mustang said. "We need to go back to our own lives as if we never met. As if this never happened."

"Wait." Ed said quickly. "If you're going to erase our memories, we won't remember this case."

"No, you'll remember it." The older Alphonse said gently. "You'll remember enough about it so that life continues on like normal for you. You won't remember us, or our involvement. You won't remember Olivier or the Académie. You'll just remember the case as we worked it, with everything on your shoulders, and the end of it, just as your report states."

Ed blinked. "And what about you? Are you going to remember it all?"

The older Alphonse looked at Elric, who shrugged. He looked back at Ed and smiled. "I guess if it works out that way, we will. But the Académie was well entangled in our lives. It may be harder for us to let it go than you."

Ed nodded and stepped back away from the circle drawn in the dirt. "Good luck. And thanks."

Elric shrugged. "Just do what you can, Ed. And know that sometimes having an extra set of arms and legs can make the difference between success and failure."

The older Alphonse lifted his hands, holding an alchemy pendant between them. "Are you ready, Brother?"

"Yeah, let's get this show on the road."

Ed watched as the older Alphonse activated his alchemy first. Ed felt nothing different about himself, just watching his older self activate the translocation alchemy that would take them back to their world and time. And then he blinked.

Ed stared at the alchemy circle drawn into the dirt. He frowned, wondering how it had gotten there, and who had drawn it. It looked like the beginnings of a circle needed for the now-banned translocation alchemy. _Did I draw it? I must have. Those symbols look like my handwriting. But why would I-_

"Fullmetal! What the hell are you doing? And Alphonse, too?"

Ed turned to look at Roy. The colonel was glaring at him, hands at his hips. "Um, I can explain..."

Roy gave him a toothy smile. "No, you can't, and I strongly suggest you don't try. This alchemy is banned, Edward. Meaning you can't use it in any shape or form."

"I was just-"

"Get your tiny ass back to Eastern HQ before I do something terrible to you."

"Who the hell are you calling a micro-sized midget?!"

"Brother! Brother, wait!"

Alphonse quickly grabbed hold of Edward before he could leap on Roy, and carried his struggling, hissing and spitting older brother after the colonel. The younger Elric paused to look back toward the circle and made a noise of confusion.

Ed stopped struggling. "What is it, Al?"

"I dunno. But I have a strange feeling that I'm forgetting something."

Ed and Roy looked at each other, and then back at Alphonse. "Maybe it wasn't important?" Ed said.

"Maybe."

Alphonse pushed the thought to the back of his mind and followed Roy and Ed back toward the car Roy had brought out. He decided if it was important enough, he would remember what it was he'd forgotten. Otherwise-

"Brother! Don't call the Colonel that!"


	19. Chapter 19

Epilogue

The sunlight streamed through the bedroom window and into his eyes. Since he was somewhat awake anyway, Edward Elric opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling of the room. He stretched slowly, trying not to disturb the body beside him, though he had a feeling that the other was already awake, too. It was when he sat up that an arm came across his waist and pinned him down with its weight, as the arm's owner shifted to look up at him with one dark ebony eye.

Ed sighed. "We have plans today."

Roy smiled. "We have plans every day. It's only been, what, two days since you got back? I don't have to go to work until the day after tomorrow. Staying in bed today sounds like a great idea."

"Those plans are with Winry." Ed smiled a little too sweetly. "So if you want to cancel on her, _you_ can tell her."

Roy made a face. "Her aim is too accurate, and she only aims for one place."

"On you, maybe."

Roy chuckled and reached to tangle his fingers in long blonde, pulling Ed down for a kiss. It was slow, passionate, and it really made Ed rethink his stance on adhering to their plans for the day. But he pulled back and pinned Roy with a glare. The Flame Alchemist sighed. "Fine. Let's go see Winry."

"I'll sweeten the deal by explaining the alchemy Alphonse and I used to come back home."

Roy smirked. "I guess we can make that deal."

As Ed crawled out of bed and stretched, giving a short groan as his muscles protested the movement. Then he paused, looking around the room in confusion for a minute. He turned to look at Roy, opened his mouth, paused, then closed it.

"What is it?" Roy asked.

"I don't know. But I feel like I'm forgetting something."

"It's been a trying time for you, you know." Roy shifted to get out of bed, reaching for his pants. "And you haven't been allowed to rest. Even Alphonse has been kept busy."

Ed nodded and moved to pull on his own clothes. "I'm sure if it's important, I'll remember it eventually."

"I can't believe you forgot something."

"If I've forgotten anything, I'm blaming you."

Roy let out a barking laugh. Ed shook his head with a smile and moved toward the bathroom to get ready for the day. He pushed the teasing thought to the back of his mind and decided what he'd forgotten probably hadn't been very important anyway. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and smiled.

"Want company in there?"

"No!"


End file.
